Pickpockets are experts at stealing wallets. They know where owners hide their wallets, how to get at them without being detected, and how to convert the contents of a stolen wallet into quick cash. Thieves act fast, and if one targets you, you might not notice the absence of your wallet until long after the bandit has fled the scene of the crime. That’s why it’s important to prepare for the possibility of losing your wallet before it happens.
People don’t often purchase car insurance with the intention of being involved in an automobile accident. Insurance is a way to mitigate the financial harm an accident can cause. A good way to protect the contents of your wallet before a theft occurs is to craft an action plan on what to do in the event it’s stolen. This form of wallet insurance will allow you to move with lightning speed to limit the harm a thief can do with your personal information once it’s in his or her possession. Here’s a quick to do list on actions you can take right now to get your plan in motion:
- Pull everything out of your wallet that you won’t need for your next trip. Take out your Social Security card, birth certificate, passport, computer password list, and other unneeded items that contain your personal information. Reduce the number of payment cards in your wallet to only what you intend to use for that trip. You don’t need five credit cards for a trip to the grocery store.
- Make a photocopy of the items in your wallet including credit cards, driver’s license, health insurance card, automobile insurance card, library card, gift certificates, and any loyally shopper’s cards. This will let you know exactly what a thief has in his or her possession so you can provide an itemized list to the authorities when you report the crime. It will also let you know which businesses to call to report the theft of your items. Update your photocopy collection regularly as the contents of your wallet change and keep this collection in a safe place, preferably an actual safe or other secret storage location in your home. You can also scan or take photos of your items and store the digital copies on your computer. Be sure to password protect your computer for added security. For instructions on how to add a password to your Windows-based computer, type “password protect Windows computer” into your favorite search engine.
- Make a list of business phone numbers to call for each item you have in your wallet. This will allow you to quickly contact each organization to report the theft of your cards. Keep this list in the same location as the photocopy or scanned collection of items in your wallet for maximum response time following a theft.
Your wallet is a treasure trove for pickpockets. While you probably won’t know when a criminal has targeted your wallet for an unexpected transfer of ownership until after it’s gone, you can control the harm a thief can cause. Limit access to your valuables by taking the steps listed above today.