I know that this is not going to help me right now as I am already a victim of theft. My wallet has been stolen and I have lost all my important documents that even included my financial details. I fear that they may be used to make my accounts drain. I have already taken the necessary steps for this but this is going to be a real danger in future as it is sometimes too late and by that time everything is gone. I wanted to know that if there are any pre-steps that we can take in case of wallet theft?
It helps to keep a list of all credit cards and 800 numbers for credit card providers and banks. If you purchase some American Express travelers checks and have your wallet/purse stolen they will help you cancel your accounts. If in the USA I would also alert the credit reporting agencies. Identity Theft Nos Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 Experian (formerly TRW) 1-888-397-3742 Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289 Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271
Yes, the #1 thing is to "freeze" all credit card accounts, because someone can easily use them online, doing some activities called Carding. It would also be important to keep documents separately from each other, such as keep a card separated from the note where PIN code is written etc... And all the time, just be careful!