Are you losing your mind trying to locate your wallet? Gasping for air since plunderers poached your pocketbook? Forgetting where you last placed your purse or becoming a victim of wallet robbery is not a welcoming experience. No one loves losing their most valued pieces of identification. Despite the shock, there’s no need to go to hell in a handbag. There are steps you can take to better guard against greedy graspers and forgotten wallet locations.

The first part of this article considers how to protect yourself before your ID goes missing. The second part reviews how to protect yourself from financial crooks and identity thieves when your wallet wanders off.

Protecting yourself before losing your wallet:

1. Carry less.

Do yourself a huge favor by protecting your financial well-being and personal identity by unloading the junk from your pocketbook trunk. There’s no need to weight yourself down with items that could be hazardous to your financial health if found in the hands of a handbag thief. Leave items like your social security card, checkbook, passport, birth certificate, multiple credit cards, and business cards at home or in a safety deposit box under lock and key. If you never carry these ten items in your purse or wallet, you will better protect yourself from identify theft if your wallet walks off.

2. Keep essential numbers and digits handy.

Always keep a list of credit card account numbers somewhere safe in your home. Along with these digits, be sure to store the customer service contact numbers in case you need to call to cancel your cards. When you’re frantic about losing your purse or wallet, having these numbers on hand will help ease the tension.

3. Photocopy essential documents.

I keep photocopies of my birth certificate and driver’s license in a bank safety deposit box just in case my house is robbed or my purse is plucked. Having a hard back up stored safely outside of the home is essential if you ever need to prove to someone who you are. Replacing lost essential documentation is also A LOT easier if you have copies of the original. It may be wise to get the photocopies notarized by a lawyer or a notary public, just to verify the copy as an authentic original.

Steps to surviving a lost purse or wallet:

1. File a police report.

When my wallet wandered off the last thing I wanted to do was trouble the police with a seemingly petty crime. But filing a police report is of huge importance as it validates your story and can help if someone uses your credit cards or usurps your identity. Call the cops and feel free to file.

2. Call credit card companies.

When a crook has access to your credit, it’s time to cancel those cards. Since you have your credit companies numbers stored in a safe place, just calmly collect all the necessary digits and dial away. To cancel your cards you will probably have to answer some security clearance questions, so be prepared. When I called to cancel, I had replacement cards in less than a week.

3. Contact the bank.

Did the bandits breakaway with your bank card? Hopefully they didn’t capture your checkbook. Be sure to call your banks to discuss your options based on what was lost. You may have to close your account and reopen another one. Don’t fret, starting a fresh account with no mistakes in it is kinda liberating. Changing accounts is really more of an inconvenience, but very worthwhile if thieving mooches have access to your moolah.

4. Visit the government.

If the felons fetched your driver’s license, social security card, or another important piece of official paper you’ve got to notify the govvies. Canceling credit cards and opening a new bank account is a lot easier then replacing these personal pieces of governmental documentation, so get started as soon as possible. Besides, you want to notify all authorities pronto in case someone is operating a vehicle in your name with your license.

Be sure to visit with government officials and show them photocopies of all essential ID. Having a photocopy of an original can help prove your identity. Visiting in person is probably a necessity for new photos and fresh signatures.

5. Buzz the credit bureaus.

Since the crooks made off with your credit cards, it would be wise to contact a leading credit reporting agency. Notifying bureaus like Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion is a good idea to keep tabs on your credit report, credit score, and your identity record. The bureaus can suggest ways to mitigate your risk based on the documents stolen. Since my mishap years ago, I’ve made it a habit to check my credit report yearly just to keep safe.

Hopefully you will never have deal with a misplaced moneybag or a poached pocketbook. Do you have a “hell in a handbag” story? Please do share!

Keeping your wallet or purse safe (series):

• Ten things you should never carry in your purse or wallet
• Ten things you must carry in your purse or wallet