If you’ve lost your wallet, take these steps immediately to prevent credit card fraud and protect your information.
Losing your wallet is a hassle at best and an identity theft nightmare at worst. If you’ve just lost your wallet, make these ten moves right away to help protect your financial accounts and your identity.
1. Confirm whether your wallet is lost or stolen.
Start by thoroughly searching for your wallet — it might be in your house, car, or office. Even if you left it at a store or restaurant, a good Samaritan might be holding it for you, so be sure to call around. As you continue your search, move ahead with the other items on this list.
2. Report credit cards lost or stolen.
Call all of your credit card companies and report your cards lost or stolen. They’ll suspend the old cards and send you replacements with new numbers. There are federal regulations to protect consumers who report the loss or theft within a particular period of time, and many card companies won’t hold card members responsible for fraudulent spending if the loss or theft is reported promptly — so act quickly.
If you think there’s a chance that your card will turn up, you can have the issuer freeze your account. If you find the card, you can unfreeze the account, which is less of a hassle than getting a new card.
3. Alert your bank.
If there were checks, debit cards or account deposit slips in your wallet, contact your bank and report this information as lost or stolen. Your bank can suspend or cancel your debit card, watch your account for fraudulent charges, and issue you a replacement card with a new number.
4. Call the police.
If you believe your wallet was stolen, file a police report as soon as possible. If you become the victim of identity theft or a need to report any fraudulent charges, you’ll need evidence that you filed one right away.
5. Report your driver’s license missing at the DMV.
If your driver’s license was in your wallet, you’ll need to contact the DMV. To prevent identity theft, the DMV will reissue you a license with a new number.
6. Change your locks if you had a key in your wallet.
If you carry a house key in your wallet, be sure to change your locks as soon as possible. If someone has your wallet, they’ll have your address from your driver’s license, and could use the key to enter your home.
7. Call the Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service.
It’s not recommended to keep your Social Security card in your wallet, but if you do and it was stolen or lost, call the SSA and the IRS Identity Protection Unit to inform them as soon as possible.
8. Monitor your credit reports.
Check with the credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to make sure there are no fraudulent charges or new accounts on your report. Get a free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each credit reporting company using annualcreditreport.com.
9. Carry less information.
In order to prevent credit card fraud, carry only what you need. If you routinely use one credit card, leave the rest in a safe place at home, along with identifying information such as your Social Security card or passport. Keep your house key separate from your wallet, and never keep a PIN in your wallet, as you may be liable for resulting transactions.
10. Create a list of all your cards.
For future reference, make a list of your cards, and keep it in a secure place at home. This list shouldn’t contain account numbers, but rather catalog your cards and the issuers’ contact information so you can easily report lost or stolen cards in the future.
11. Report any signs of identity theft.
When it comes to identity theft, the earlier you’re able to spot and report it, the better. If you’ve determined your identity has been compromised, take immediate steps to mitigate the damage. Learn more about how to report identity theft.
Acting quickly after your wallet is lost or stolen is vital to protecting yourself against fraud and keeping your identity — and your finances — firmly in your control. Learn more tips for how to prevent fraud at regions.com/fraudprevention.
