5 Steps To Take After Your Purse Is Stolen
If you're like most women, you probably carry a lot of personal items, such as your cell phone, keys, debit and credit cards, and drivers license, in your purse. Having anything stolen from you can be awful, but when your purse is stolen, it can turn your life upside down. Take the following steps in the event that your purse is stolen:
File a Police Report
In most cases, police do not recover a stolen purse or spend a lot of time searching for it. But having a police report can make it easier to get reimbursed by financial institutions if your debit or credit cards are used fraudulently.
Cancel Debit and Credit Cards
The sooner you cancel your debit and credit cards, the less likely it will be for the thief to use them. You will have to wait for replacement credit cards to come in the mail, but you may be able to get a temporary debit card right away by visiting a branch of your bank.
Disconnect Your Phone
Contact your wireless provider to have your phone disconnected so it can't be used by the thief who stole your purse. Depending on the type of phone you have and your wireless provider, it may be possible to disable the phone so it can't be reset and sold to anyone else.
Hire a Locksmith
It can be very scary to think that a thief has all of your keys as well as your drivers license with your address listed on it. For the safety of you and your family, it is in your best interest to contact a locksmith to re-key all of the locks in your home. This will make your old house keys useless, and no one will be able to use them to get into your home. In addition to re-keying the locks in your house, you should also ask the locksmith like one from Yearsley's Service LTD to re-key the lock on your mailbox so a thief cannot steal your mail.
Contact Credit Reporting Agencies
If someone steals your identity by using personal information found in your purse, it can take years to get the problem fixed. After your purse is stolen, contact the major credit reporting agencies and ask for your records to be flagged-- when you do this, you will be notified if anyone tries to open accounts or take out loans in your name using your personal information.