The Gun Counter

Today I lost my wallet. Spent all day calling various CC companies, going to my bank and Motor Vehicle. My NJ FID card *spit* was also in my wallet. I went to the local PD to report its loss as per NJ law *spit again*.

Toward the afternoon, I remembered my SS# is printed on the FID card. So, any dishonest scumbag who finds my wallet has my address and SS#. I called all three credit agencies and put a permanent freeze on my credit status. So, whenever I need to apply for credit in the future, I have to get a temporary lift on the freeze. No big deal. I fucked up and lost the wallet. My bad.

Hopefully some honest Joe will find the wallet and return it. But I'm not counting on it.

I want to know if there is anything else I should do to protect myself against ID theft.

And please be helpful; no diatribes against NJ and how I should move. I plan on it as soon as I can.

So far, it looks like you've done everything you can possibly do. How many cards and what type did you carry in your wallet? How well do you know the contents of your wallet?

Can you visualize going into your wallet? Did you keep anything in with the bills (I put some of my most used cards in there edgewise so I can pull them out without having to open my wallet)?

Taking care of the credit agencies is the big one, along with your credit cards. Did you have a debit card that is not a credit card? Debit card liability is handled differently than CC liability - check your paperwork if you haven't contacted that bank yet.

This is one of the reasons to carry as few cards as possible. I know some friends who write bogus PIN numbers on their cards hoping if crooks ever get them, they'll get the cards seized retrying the phony PINs.

Did you have any cash cards or store credit cards and/or things similar to Home Depot gift cards?

I'm just trying to jog your memory in case you missed anything...........

Do you keep a spare house/car key in your wallet?
What would worry me is that you had a FID card in there with your license or other address on it and a crook would figure out you likely have a gun or more. You might need to come up with a good hiding place for them.

If you electronically file your taxes, file early. If someone files using your ssn before you do you'll wind up having to file a paper return and waiting to get it untangled. irs.gov has a bunch of other stuff potentially useful on the topic.

That's one reason I carry my CCW permit in a separate carrier in another pocket. I almost never have to pull out during day to day transactions.

Also do it that way so if I'm ever involved in a robbery and are either not armed, or the tactical situation contra-indicates immediate action, I don't hand over a wallet that might clue the perp into some possible bad Ju Ju coming his way.

308Mike wrote:This is one of the reasons to carry as few cards as possible. I know some friends who write bogus PIN numbers on their cards hoping if crooks ever get them, they'll get the cards seized retrying the phony PINs.

Now that is an excellent idea

Do a credit alert. and if necessary, see if you can do a "credit freeze" - nobody can open new cards with your name and SS#.


HTRN

Thankfully, I don't carry a spare key in my wallet. All debit and credit cards have been canceled. None had any fraudulent transactions. 95% of my guns are in a large safe that is bolted to the floor. But anyone with bad intentions who finds the FID card doesn't know that...

I'm going to take Randy's advice with my new card and store it separately. Frankly, I don't need to carry it unless I'm buying a gun or going to the range.