A stolen wallet can be a problem. But identity theft (often resulting from a stolen wallet) is a bigger problem.



Identity theft can result if a thief takes your personal info and uses it to open other accounts for their own gain. In other words, the issue goes beyond theft within existing credit accounts. It involves opening brand new fraudulent accounts, using your name and personal information, so the new credit can be tapped by the thief.





To shut down fraudulent activity you must go beyond simply contacting the issuers of existing credit cards. You must widen the safety net.



This includes:



-- Calling your state’s department of motor vehicles and asking them to attach a \"fraud alert\" to your driver’s profile. Request that no part of your personal information, such as home address, be changed without alerting you.



-- Contacting any organizations or memberships if their cards were in your wallet. Have a fraud alert attached to them.



-- Contacting the big 3 credit reporting agencies immediately. Their phone numbers are as follows: Experian - 888-397-3742, Trans Union - 800-888-4213 and Equifax - 800-685-1111. Ask each one to send you a free credit report. All your credit accounts, including any resulting from fraud, will likely appear in these reports.



-- Getting credit reporting agencies to attach a fraud alert to your credit profile. Request that no new credit or change in your personal information be made without contacting you right away.



-- Examining your credit report and doing more than just looking at open accounts. Look for new credit inquiries as well. These inquiries may be the result of an identity thief trying to open a new fraud account with the creditor.



-- Having the standard 90-day fraud alert with the credit reporting agencies increased to at least one year. Why? Because fraudulent credit inquiries can result in the establishment of new credit account for up to one year after the inquiry was made.



-- Filing a police report with your local police department. This is extremely important because both credit reporting agencies and credit issuers are going to want to see proof that you’re actually a fraud victim. How can they know you’re not just a slacker who is attempting to shake free of accountability from paying bills that are really yours? A police report addresses this \"proof\" issue.



-- Conversing back and forth between those who issued fraudulent accounts and the credit reporting agencies in order to get your credit profile cleared of errors. In other words, you’re going to have to follow thru to make sure any fraud accounts you’ve identified are actually removed from your credit profile.