Theft is on the rise and you need to be careful when you are walking around with your purse. You might want to switch to a cross-body purse that you wear over your chest to reduce your chances of getting robbed. If your purse does get stolen, you need to act fast because it won’t take long for the criminals to go through your wallet and start using your credit and debit cards. If your Your Social Security card is in your purse the criminals will also use your Social Security number to engage in identity theft. Read on to learn what to do if your purse gets stolen and how to replace your Social Security card if it was in your purse.
As soon as you know that your purse has been stolen you need to get into gear quickly and start making some calls. Hopefully you know all the cards that were in your wallet and you can start calling the customer service numbers of your banks to cancel the cards. Be sure to tell your bank that the card was stolen so you won’t be responsible for any charges if the criminals try to use your cards.
If you had a debit card in your purse it is very important that you alert the bank right away because debit cards don’t have the same protections that credit cards do. It is a lot harder to get your money back when your debit card is used fraudulently and since it is tied to your bank account you could lose your entire savings in just minutes. Act fast, because the criminals are not going to wait to start using your cards and they are going to put them to use right away. Every second counts when you are dealing with having your purse stolen.
If your Social Security card was in your purse you are going to have to get a replacement copy. It doesn’t cost any money to get a new copy of your Social Security card. You will have to go online to the Social Security website and report your card as being stolen. You can then go ahead and apply for a new one. You can order a social security replacement card online. Doing it this way is much faster and you won’t have to make the trip to the Social Security office and stand in line and wait to be seen. It can take a long time to get through the lines in the Social Security office so you might as well get your card in the comfort of your own home.
You will need to prove your identity to get your new card and you will need your birth certificate, driver’s license, and other documents that prove your identity before you can get approved to get a new card. Once you are approved it takes about three weeks to get the card in the mail. You have to keep your eye on the mail when your card is coming due because you don’t want someone to get the card. If your card was stolen out of your purse, you need to keep an eye on your credit. A stolen Social Security card means that someone is going to be stealing your identity and you need to be ready.
If you are busy and don’t want to deal with keeping an eye on your credit report you are going to want to sign up for an identity theft protection service. These services will monitor your accounts for you and they will prevent any problems from happening. They also have a legal team that can take legal action and represent you if your identity gets stolen. You will have peace of mind when you use an identity theft protection service because they take care of every for you and you don’t have to do anything. The service will alert you if anything happens and they are constantly monitoring your credit profile for changes and for accounts being opened in your name.
The fee for these services is going to vary and it depends on the type of services being provided and the service you choose. You will want to take some time to research the different services and you also need to research the prices of the different services so you end up choosing the service that is going to be best for your needs and your budget.
If you don’t want to pay to use an identity theft protection service, you can do the work yourself by freezing your credit report. This will lock down your credit and no one will be able to open an account without permission, including yourself. If someone tries to open an account under your name they will be prevented from doing so and freezing your credit is an effective way to protect your Social Security number. You can freeze your credit for free by contacting each credit reporting agency and asking that they do this for you. The freeze will be in effect until you unfreeze your credit.
When you freeze your credit no one will be able to access your credit and if you need to open a credit card or take out a loan you will have to unblock your credit so you can take out the loan. Freezing your credit is a free way to protect yourself if your Social Security card has been stolen. You don’t want criminals opening accounts in your name because it is difficult to prove that your identity was stolen and it takes a long time to do this. You will have to go through a lot of hassle and trouble to clear your name. While you are going through the process your credit score will be ruined and you will end up getting a lot of calls and letters from angry creditors who want their money. If your Social Security card is stolen you have to protect yourself.
