"During the holidays, my wallet was stolen while having lunch at a local restaurant. My bank account numbers, Social Security card, driver's license and many major credit cards were in there. What should I do?"
The first thing is to notify the police in the town where the crime was committed. They should provide you with the necessary steps to take and will give you a police report number that you may need if the culprits try to use your credit cards or tap into your bank account.
Contact your bank and explain that your wallet was stolen. Have them give you a letter that states that you reported your checking account number and routing number if you had personal checks stolen.
Also obtain a replacement driver's license, which costs $5.
Next you should call either Experian, TransUnion or Equifax, the three major credit-reporting agencies. You will need to provide your Social Security number so they can monitor your credit for the next three months. It's important to follow up in three months because the thieves also are aware of the fact that the freeze lasts three months. Do not forget to follow up!
All credit card companies should be notified of the situation, and you may not be responsible for charges that the thieves may have incurred. If you decide to get another credit card, take some necessary precautions:
• Change your password.
• Change your "trigger question" for identification.
• Limit the amount of cards you carry.
Do not forget to notify the Social Security Administration, which also should give you some direction.
It's also important to not get caught in the trap of blaming yourself. Compare your situation to an accident. There was probably no way you could have prevented this crime and to beat yourself up will do you no good." READ MORE
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Note: New Service available: WalletLock.
LifeLock, an identity theft prevention/restoration service, has come out with a new product available this year. If your wallet is lost or stolen, you just make one call to LifeLock, anytime, from anywhere - and a WalletLock specialist will contact each credit card, bank or document issuing company, cancel your affected accounts and complete the paperwork and steps necessary to replace your lost documents, including your credit/debit cards, driver's license, social security card, Passports, insurance cards, checkbook - even travelers checks. Wallet Lock is free to subscribers of LifeLock. For an instant 20% discount off LifeLock services-use this link: courtesy of LifeLock.
"If you have ever had your wallet stolen or lost, you understand the panic and anger you feel, not to mention how much time it takes to cancel and replace the important items. It's frustrating and completely unnecessary," said LifeLock CEO Todd Davis. "By adding 'WalletLock' to our service we have found another way to help lift the burden that surrounds identity theft. If a wallet is lost or stolen, 'WalletLock' will provide the complete recovery services necessary to allow our client to go on with their lives and not spend hours on the phone."
As far as LifeLock is concerned, according to Davis, "If your identity is stolen while you are our client, we're going to do whatever it takes to recover your good name. If you need lawyers, we're going to hire the best we can find. If you need investigators, accountants, case managers, whatever, they're yours. If you lose money as a result of the theft, we're going to give it back to you. We will do whatever it takes to help you recover your good name and we will spend up to $1,000,000 to do it."
With the addition of WalletLock, it now appears LifeLock can virtually remove all fear associated with enduring or "fixing" an intrusive, costly identity theft when you sign up for their services. To me, having someone take the preventative steps required to protect my identity, be there to "fix" it if a problem occurs, and willing to reimburse me for any losses, is a valuable service. With the LifeLock promotional discount, for a low price of $88.00 per YEAR or $8.00 per month -you can enjoy total peace of mind that your identity, vacation, accounts, money and wallet are safe -as best they can be!
Remember, more often than not -when your wallet or information is stolen, your accounts are accessed long before your bank can stop the thieves...See prior blogs: Identity thieves have access to your money 24/7 -but you don't!?!?!?
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Do you know what steps to take when your wallet is stolen -and then used to steal YOU?
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