What to do if your purse or wallet is lost or stolen
1. Consider cancelling your credit cards immediately. Ideally, you should call the bank or organization that issued each card and have the card numbers available. If you don’t have that information safely recorded somewhere, here are some numbers that may help (1-800 numbers can be called from Slovakia, subject to international calling charges, by using 1-880 instead of 1-800.)
VISA
Visa Global Customer Assistance Service
Call Collect: (410) 581-9994 or (410)-581-3836
MASTERCARD
Call collect to US number 1-636-722-7111
AMERICAN EXPRESS
Call Collect to US number 1-336-393-1111
2. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction were it was lost or stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and is a first step toward an investigation.
3. Call the three national credit-reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and SS#. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.
- Equifax 1-800 525-6285
- Experian (formerly TRW) 1-800-301-7195
- Trans Union 1-800-680-7289
4. Consider informing the Social Security Administration if someone may have obtained both your social security number and personal identification documents. The SSA’s fraud reporting hotline is 1-800-269-0271.
5. Consider what other documents / items may have been lost. Checkbook or bank card: notify your bank; Drivers license: notify your state’s Dept of Motor Vehicles; Keys: Even if you have a spare set, consider changing the locks if the thief could possibly discern the location of your house or vehicle.
6. Do you still have your passport? Americans in Slovakia who are over age 16 are required to carry either their passport or their Slovak Residency Permit at all times. If your passport was lost or stolen, contact the Embassy immediately and submit an application for a new one.
