Losing your wallet can be upsetting, embarrassing, and if it falls into the wrong hands, can threaten your finances and reputation. If you can't quickly find your lost wallet through common search strategies, acting quickly to secure your identity and credit can prevent future irritation. Look for the instructions in this article to help you regain control of your lost belongings.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Coping With Lost Wallet
Step 1. Search your wallet for 24 hours before canceling your credit card or requesting a new ID card
You have 48 hours to report a lost card before you are entitled to any claims, so use that time wisely. If you know the card has been stolen, immediately proceed to the next step.
- Look in all clothes, bags and pockets.
- Call for future locations, such as restaurants and bars.
- Do a systematic search of your home, going around from the perimeter of the room to the center.
Step 2. Use the internet and check for fraudulent transactions
Check your bank accounts and credit cards online to see if any purchase transactions have occurred since the card disappeared. If there is a transaction, this indicates the card has been stolen.
Step 3. Inform your bank about the lost card
Call your bank and tell them the card has been lost. Report any fraudulent transactions immediately. Record the date and time of each interaction in case of a dispute.
Step 4. Cancel all credit cards and debit cards
Contact the relevant agency and apply for a new card. If you have another copy of the card, cut it out and throw it away. You may need to provide your bank information to verify that your card is indeed lost.
- MasterCard: 001803-1-887-0623
- Visa: 001-803-1-933-6294
- Amex: 021-521-6000
Step 5. Call a major credit bureau and ask for fraudulent transactions to be monitored on your credit card network
This will help prevent serious changes to your credit score. The numbers are:
KBIJ: 021-574-7435
Step 6. Submit an ID card replacement request
Call, visit, or go to the Polri website to check the rules regarding the issuance of a new SIM.
Step 7. Contact your insurance company and request a new account number
You should do this with your health, dental, and auto insurance to avoid possible identity theft.
Step 8. Report any lost items to the police
They will let you know if they find anything. Having a police report will also make it much easier to file a complaint with your bank or credit card in case something bad happens or your identity is stolen.
You must file a police report no matter what, to provide a written activity record for your bank in a disclaimer
Step 9. Copy all your cards and ID cards for future reference
It will be much easier for you to remedy a lost wallet if you keep copies of all documents and cards. Never carry your social security card in your wallet, not even a copy.
Method 2 of 3: Finding Your Wallet
Step 1. Be calm, focus and think
Have you ever felt angry because you couldn't find your remote control or box of seral, then became even more angry when no one in your house could put things back in its place, then finally calmed down and realized that your remote control or cereal box actually in place and just out of your sight.
- When we panic about losing something, especially an important item like a wallet, we lose focus and can easily ignore clear directions -- or even items that turn out to be right in front of us.
- Take a few deep breaths, and try to clear your mind. Try not to think about all the trouble you'll run into if your wallet can't be found. Focus only on the wallet, where it should be, and where it might be. Then begin your real search.
Step 2. Look again in the places where the wallet is usually located
Your first search may be influenced by a growing sense of panic, making it increasingly fruitless. Once you've calmed down, choose the most likely place for your wallet -- your trouser pocket on your chair, your bedside table, your desk -- then do your search properly.
Also look around the possible places -- the floor around your bedside table, desk drawer, trouser pocket, etc
Step 3. Track your trail
Think about the last place your wallet was stored in your memory -- paying for coffee downtown, picking it up from your nightstand, etc. -- and take a step back until you get to that point.
- Go through all the clothes you've worn in that time period, and check all the pockets carefully. Also be sure to check coats and bags.
- Keeping track of your routine can help bring your memory back, so try to do everything possible even if it seems like an impossible place for you to lose your wallet there.
- Consider whether it's possible for someone (without any ill will) to take your wallet -- a curious little child? A friend trying to help? Contact anyone who may have accidentally touched your wallet.
Step 4. Call the places you have recently visited
Are you visiting a restaurant, movie theater, office, or even a friend's house? Call and ask if your wallet is visible there.
- You may need to explain your wallet. Knowing the name on your ID and credit card may be enough to prove that the wallet is yours, but being able to describe a family photo or an ice cream card can also help.
- Don't assume a business will contact you if your wallet is found there. They may put it in the lost items section and forget about it, or they may have a rule against contacting you for privacy reasons -- they may not want to contact where you live and reveal your previous location without your permission.
Step 5. Look carefully in unusual places where the wallet is
Expand your search radius further and further away from the most likely places for your wallet -- entire bedrooms, entire second floors of your home, your entire home.
- Take a look at the frequent passages in your home/office that aren't usually where you put your wallet but may be -- kitchen, toilet, etc.
- Search a room methodically using segment search (divide the room into smaller sections and search through them one by one), or spiral search (search around the perimeter, then continue to the center of the room).
- For even more search method ideas, see How to Find Lost Things
Step 6. Suppose your wallet is stolen if it is not found within a day or so
No, don't call the police before trying to find the wallet, because the process of canceling your card and then realizing that your wallet is in your jeans pocket can be frustrating. However, it's better to be careful than to regret later if you can't track your wallet in a relatively short time.
- In the event of credit card theft, the bank guarantees zero liability for transactions that you do not make, if you report it as soon as possible. Other cards may also have reporting deadlines. And even if you don't get a zero-liability guarantee on remote credit card purchases, it's easier to prevent fraudulent transactions before they happen than to deal with them after they happen.
- Get started with the notification described in the corresponding section of this article.
Method 3 of 3: Protecting Your Identity and Finances
Step 1. Contact your bank and report the loss of the debit card
Since the laws governing debit cards and credit cards are different, you must contact your bank in advance within 48 hours of losing your wallet to protect yourself from fraudulent transactions.
- You'll get a zero liability guarantee from the bank so you won't have to pay bills, if you report them right away.
- Since your debit card is linked to your bank account, and your bank account may be linked to other accounts, be aware that you may receive not only a new debit card/number, but a new account number as well. You will also need a new checkbook.
- Keep in mind any automatic payments you may have that go into your debit card or bank account (phone bills, life insurance premiums, etc.). You will need to update your payment information for each of these types of transactions when you get a new account number.
- Yes, it's a hassle, but it's better than letting the contents of your bank account run out and having to go through various processes to get your funds back.
Step 2. Report the loss of your credit card
You don't actually need to cancel it, which would require you to register for the credit card all over again. By reporting that your credit card is lost/stolen, you will get a new card with a new number but will be able to maintain your current account status.
- You are not required to pay a credit card bill if you report it before a fraudulent transaction occurs and need to pay your bill in advance if the reporting takes longer, but it is easier to prevent fraudulent transactions before they occur than to go through a process to correct them later.
- Save your credit card company's customer service number (as well as your bank's) on your phone so you can contact them as soon as possible.
- Don't forget about the credit card issued by the store.
Step 3. File a police report for a lost or stolen wallet
Finding your wallet may not be their top priority, but regardless, filing a police report is an important way to protect yourself.
- Filing a report will result in an official documented record of your loss and search efforts. This can be quite valuable for the purposes of any insurance application, fraudulent transaction liability resolution, identity theft issues, or other issues that may arise.
- Provide data as accurate and detailed as possible, with specific time and location estimates. Keep a copy of the report as your documentation.
Step 4. Contact all credit card bureaus to protect your credit score
In Indonesia, one of the three major bureaus, Bank Indonesia, KBIJ, and Pefindo -- is sufficient, because they are required to obtain this information, but it never hurts to contact all three.
- Supervision of fraudulent transactions will be placed on your account, meaning any attempt to extend credit will require identity verification.
- Anything you can do to avoid the hassle of improving your credit score due to fraudulent transactions will be worth your time and effort.
- There is a paid option for fraud surveillance services, which are sometimes offered via your credit card, which can alert you immediately to possible fraudulent activity.
Step 5. Replace your lost identity cards
No one looks forward to visiting the police station for a driver's license change, but don't expect the police to immediately believe your story about losing your wallet (and driver's license) if you get a ticket.
- Each region has its own rules and procedures for replacing a lost or stolen SIM, but be aware that you will have to go to the office in person and pay for the replacement fee.
- Other ID cards -- student cards, employee ID cards, etc. -- also need to be replaced.
Step 6. Make a list of every item in your wallet
Try to remember as best you can, and check to see if there's anything else that needs to be reported or replaced.
- Don't forget a store discount card or even a library card. This may sound trivial compared to a debit or credit card, but it can give other people access to your personal information that you wouldn't want.
- Basically, you need to start all over again to recover the contents of your lost wallet as small as possible, in terms of finances and your identity.
Tips
- Don't keep all your cash in a wallet. Buy a money clip to keep some of the money, or keep some in a safe place at home and only carry what you think is necessary. This way, you can reduce the amount of cash you can lose if you lose your wallet.
- Periodically throughout the day, make sure you still have your wallet. This only takes a second to do, and will give you a bigger chance if you just lost your wallet. Make it your habit to check your wallet regularly: every time you get up, when you walk, etc. A light touch to the back pocket of your pants or a quick glance at your bag will give a clear indication.
- If you put your wallet in the back pocket of your pants, make sure it doesn't pull out. Your wallet is most likely to stay in your pocket if it's not too bulky and your pocket is tight.
- Store your cards in a separate card wallet. If you lose your wallet, you can still use your card, and when you lose your card/card wallet, you still have cash.
- If you keep your wallet in the back pocket of your pants, try wearing pants that have buttons in the back pockets, and use them.
- Don't keep your wallet in your back pocket when traveling, or in crowded places, unless your wallet is securely attached to a chain. This added level of security will almost completely eliminate the possibility that someone will take it from you. Or, for added security, use a money belt.
- Write down your phone number and a small note on a piece of paper or card and place it in a visible part of the wallet. This will make it easier for an honest person to return the wallet to you.
- Make sure you write down important account numbers before you lose your wallet, or check printed or electronic bills for account numbers and contact information. If you lose your wallet, these numbers will be very important to know.
- Good places to find your lost wallet include worn clothes (pants pockets, etc.) and tumble dryers.
