How to React to a Stolen or Lost Wallet

If your wallet is lost or stolen, don't panic, but do act quickly to safeguard your bank and credit card accounts and your identity.

Instructions

Step 1: Make a list of the wallet’s contents Make a list of the contents of your wallet, as best as you can recall.
Step 2: Notify the three major credit reporting agencies Call or go online to ask the three major credit reporting agencies to place a fraud alert on your accounts and to send you a credit report.
TIP: The three major credit reporting agencies are Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian.
Step 3: Report loss of your driver’s license Report the loss of your driver’s license to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Step 4: Notify credit, debit, and ATM card issuers Notify issuers of any credit, debit, and ATM cards. Request replacement cards.
TIP: Request written verification that these accounts have been closed, including time and date or verification number.
Step 5: Contact the Social Security Office Contact the Social Security Office to get a new card if your card was in your wallet. Ask them to send you a Personal Earnings and Benefits Estimate Statement to look for any discrepancies.
TIP: The Social Security Office requires that you wait until June of the following year (after your taxes have been paid) to request the statement.
Step 6: Notify issuers of any other personalized cards Notify issuers of any other cards that display your name, or membership/identification number and ask for replacement cards. These include check-cashing, long-distance calling, store membership, and library cards.
FACT: Did you know? It is estimated that as many as nine million Americans have their identities stolen each year.