Reduce Your Risk of Stolen Credit Cards
Where Should You Store Your Credit Cards?
Having your wallet or purse stolen with all your credit cards tucked neatly inside is certainly not fun. Not only are you out of all the cash in the purse or wallet, but you will also have to spend a lot of time contacting your creditors and arranging for replacement cards. Fortunately, we have some tips that will help you reduce your risk of stolen credit cards.
Your Car is Not a Closet
Refrain from leaving your purse or wallet in your vehicle. Carry your purse or wallet with you at all times.
Just this week a local Pennsylvania paper covered a story about a woman having her purse stolen from her vehicle while working out at the gym. In that one-hour time span, a criminal broke into her vehicle, stole her purse, and charged over $1,000 to one of her credit cards.
Use the Gym Locker
Take your purse with you when you go to the gym and leave it in a locker with a lock on it. At many gyms, you will have to provide your own locks, but it is well worth the inconvenience to bring along a combination lock rather than have your purse or wallet stolen.
Pack Light
Don’t carry any more credit cards on you than necessary. If you cancelled a credit card, there is no need to carry the card with you anymore.
Most people carry credit cards around with them for emergency purposes. If that is the case, then you don’t need to carry five credit cards with you. You just need to carry one that has a sizable balance on it.
If It Happens
If your wallet or purse is stolen, you need to contact law enforcement and you credit card companies immediately. It is very important to act quickly because the criminal may be using your credit cards for purchases within just minutes of stealing them.
You could find contact numbers for credit cards on your monthly statements. If you do not have your monthly statements, look online for phone numbers to your credit card companies and contact them immediately.