Handbag 411: What to Do If Your Purse is Stolen

[Marco]

Handbag 411: What to Do If Your Purse is Stolen

By: Erin D.

You’re not sure what’s more traumatic - losing your precious (and very expensive) Chloe Bay handbag, or losing everything that was inside it, including your ID, credit cards, and money. Don’t start crying just yet - it’s best to remain calm when your purse is lost or stolen. You can always buy another Chloe, but you need to act quickly and smartly if you want to protect yourself against the valuable information inside your bag. Here’s what the Federal Trade Commission recommends:
A lost or stolen wallet or purse is a gold mine of information to identity thieves.
If your wallet or purse is missing:

• File a report with the police immediately and keep a copy.
• Cancel your credit, debit and ATM cards immediately.
• Get *new* cards with *new* account numbers.
• Call the fraud departments of the major credit reporting agencies.
• Ask each agency to put out a fraud alert on your accounts.
• Report the loss to the fraud department at your bank.
• Review your credit reports regularly and have them corrected when necessary.
• Report a missing driver’s license to your state’s department of motor vehicles.
• If your keys are missing change the locks on your home and car.

Lost/stolen wallet or purse


Has anyone else experienced a lost or stolen purse? Any other tips to share?

[etali]

Good advice - and worth repeating - when a theft happens it's easy to forget exactly what steps to take.

I'd like to add reporting your mobile missing, if you carry it in your bag. Otherwise you could ned up with a nasty contract bill!

I lost a bag once - a few years ago, thankfully I was travelling at the time and I'd left a lot of really important stuff at the hotel for safety, but it was still a nasty experience.

Now, the one thing I really mess was the skinny-tee I had put in the bag as a change of clothes - it had a special print on it designed by a friend who has since moved a long way away.

[PurseAddict]

Fear of purse snatching is exactly the reason why I would never hang my purse on the back of my chair. Not only is it a hassle to cancel the credit cards and get all the identifications back but I am very paranold with identity thief, yikes! This I would definitely never ever want to deal with!

I don't like putting my handbags on the floor either because it's so dirty and full of germs so if I don't have an extra chair or place to put my bags in a restaurant or cafe, I always use a purse hook to hold my bag. They work great and I always keep one in my bag just in case it might come in handy.

I bought my purse hangers from Pursesitter and they are fantastic! They have a really adorable range of patterns and if anyone wants to check it out, the website is www.PurseSitter.com

Hope this helps!

[LovelyIris]

I agree! I am a huge fan of the pursehook! I am able to keep my purse right next to me and I can put it on my side of the table so nobody else has access to it.

My hooks are from SilverHooks.com- Purse Hooks.
They have different styles and they can all hold up to 15lbs. They are very reasonably priced too! Safety First!

[Gilipsie]

Some other things that need to be stopped by women is putting your bag in your cart.

[crimson]

Speaking of carts, one thing I do every time
I go the grocery store is take advantage of the baby
seat belt, (since my little ones are too big for that now)
and buckle the strap of my purse in. I usually hold onto
the strap as well, but we know there are times you
need both hands.
Even if they try to steal it, this will slow them down
and give you a chance to think and react.

[bika]

Recently I lost my purse, I lost my citizenship card and other very important documents. Money does not matter at that time when you loose your documents but I still remember that purse which was given by my mother. That was my very dearest purse . I can not get the same one again.