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What
To Do If You Lose Your Wallet or Purse
Take these steps
immediately:
1. File a police report. Your bank and credit reporting agencies
will need a copy of this report and its case number. Make sure to
explain to the police officer:
- When you
first noticed your wallet missing;
- Where you
think it was lost or stolen; and
- The types
of currency and information that were in it.
2. Notify your
bank.
- Provide a
copy of the police report and case number.
- You may
need to close your accounts and move your funds to new ones.
- Ask your
bank to contact the major check verification companies. They need
to notify stores not to accept any further checks from your account.
- Cancel your
ATM. Get a new one and set it up with a new PIN.
3. Cancel all
of your credit cards immediately. Your credit card companies will
send you a new credit card with a new credit card number. They may
also ask you about recent transactions to determine if they are
yours.
4. Notify the
three major credit reporting agencies:
- Equifax –
1-800-525-6285
- TransUnion
– 1-800-680-7289
- Experian
– 1-888-397-3742
For each of
these agencies, ask for the fraud or security department. Ask them
to
put a fraud alert on your credit report.
5. A few weeks
after the incident, get a free copy of your credit report to determine
if
fraudulent transactions have been made in your name.
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