Loosing your purse or wallet is a real nightmare, not only have you lost all of your cash, but also all your credit and bank cards that were in there are gone too. The worst part is that you can’t be sure that your wallet hasn’t actually been stolen or even found by someone else who could now have enough information to steal your identity.
The first thing you need to do when you notice that your purse or wallet is missing is to call your bank and credit card companies and cancel your cards, even if you think you may find your wallet again it is better to be on the safe side and it doesn’t take long to get new cards issued.
Next you should inform the police, even if you are sure that you simply lost your wallet that doesn’t mean that someone else hasn’t found it and they could be using that information for anything. There is also a chance that if you have simply lost your wallet it may have been found by someone honest enough to hand it in to the nearest police station.
It is a good idea to keep an eye on your credit report after loosing your wallet, if anyone tries to apply for credit in your name then it will show up on your file and you will be able to take the necessary steps to deal with it, you can’t do this if you don’t know about it. Sign up for a credit monitoring service and they will inform you of any changes to your report, you sign up for this service with a company like Experian or some credit card companies offer this as part of their service.
Of course it is true what they say prevention really is better then cure, so think carefully about what you carry in your purse or wallet and ask yourself if you really need it to be there. Try to limit the amount of personal information that you carry, identity thieves will look for information such as your address and date of birth. There really is no reason that you would need to carry information like this in your wallet so don’t do it. Once thieves get their hands on information like this they can begin the process of stealing your identity and open accounts in your name.
Loosing your purse or wallet can be incredibly stressful, but remember that all your cards can be replaced with ease but it is not so easy to deal with identity theft. Try to limit the chances of it happening to you if you loose your purse, assume it has been stolen and take the necessary steps to prevent someone from stealing your identity.