What to Do If Your Purse or Wallet Is Lost or Stolen

You hope it never happens to you, that heart-pounding realization that you don’t know where your purse or wallet is. Losing it is frightening, but don’t panic. There are steps you can take to minimize the damage.

Let Your Bank Know

Once you realize that your wallet is missing, call your various banks and let them know. This means calling every bank where you have a debit or credit card and telling them your wallet has been stolen, and you need to freeze your accounts immediately.

Let the Police Know

Even if you think it’s unlikely that the police will be able to help you recover your wallet once it’s been stolen, you should still file a police report. Doing so will help you fight back against identity fraud.

A police report proves that you were a victim of a crime and will help you convince banks that you are not responsible for charges.

Get a copy of the case number and a hard copy of the file, as you’ll probably be referring to it.

Replace Your Identification

Your driver’s license or other government-issued ID was probably in your wallet, so you’ll have trouble proving you’re you until you get a replacement.

Call Your Health Insurance Company

A thief is much more likely to go on a shopping spree than head out for a root canal and charge it to your dental insurance, but you never know, and you don’t want to be on the hook for anything.

Call Your Phone Company

If you carry a purse and the whole thing was stolen, think about what else a thief might have that could compromise you. For example, your phone was probably in your purse. Call your cell phone provider and have it shut off as soon as possible to keep the thief from finding out any more sensitive information about you.