Money Crashers: What to Do If Your Wallet or Purse Is Lost or Stolen

When my purse was snatched last month, I knew right away I was going to be in for a huge hassle. Between dealing with the police, calling up my credit card issuers, going to the bank and the DMV, and changing the locks on the house and the car, I spent several days dealing with just the official aspects of the robbery—and I'm still not completely done replacing all the stuff that I lost. (After several failed attempts, I've finally found a suitable new purse, but I'm still in the process of reconstructing my grocery price book, and I have to either find a new date book or finally get myself a smartphone to serve the same purpose.)

As I went through the lengthy process of reporting and replacing everything I'd lost, it occurred to me that a summary of all the steps I had to take would probably be a useful guide for anyone else going through the same experience. And, as luck would have it, I happened to have a client that would pay me for such a write-up.

So here it is, my latest Money Crashers piece: What to Do If Your Wallet or Purse Is Lost or Stolen. It explains what you can expect when reporting a robbery to police; how to report and replace missing debit cards, credit cards, checks, safe deposit box keys, insurance cards, drivers' licenses, passports, and other miscellaneous cards; various steps you can take to protect your credit; how to track or block your stolen cell phone; have your house and your car re-keyed; and file an insurance claim if appropriate. I hope you'll never need this info, but if you ever do, it should be handy to have it all in one place.