What Should I Do If I Lost or Had My Purse Stolen in Florida?

Theft crime in Florida is an unfortunate and very frightening reality. Let’s say you reach for your purse or wallet to pay for a great new purchase… Except you realize it isn’t there.

You may feel completely panicked for a moment when you realize that your purse and wallet—and all of its contents—are missing. Maybe for a moment you hope you simply lost or misplaced it. But after searching high and low, you realize that is must have been stolen.

Now what? Consult a Miami Criminal Defense Attorney

The Thief

Theft crime in Florida is heightened during the holidays. Thieves come out to prey on the innocent whenever they are desperate for money, and this seems to be more prevalent around the holiday season.

If your purse or wallet was stolen, your assailant has all the information related to your identity. This person can use your information to take money from your account, to charge items and to spoil your good credit. The robber can even sell your information to identity thieves.

You have to be proactive, taking action to stop the thief from doing more damage to you.

Also Read : 3 Most Common Theft Crime Arrests

What You Should Do First

After you establish the fact that your purse or wallet was stolen and not just misplaced at home or elsewhere, it is time to take quick action. You should first file a report with the police and try your best to determine when the theft occurred. The police know how to handle the problem of theft crime in Florida and will do everything possible to investigate on your behalf and replace your stolen belongings.

Take THAT to the Bank…

Financial institutions also are aware of theft crime in Florida because they have to deal with so many of these types of reports year to year. Call your financial institution right away to report the theft of your bank cards and credit cards. Your bank will immediately close your account and issue a different card and/or checkbook.

The same is true of any open lines of credit you may have. Contact their customer service immediately to have the credit cards canceled, and they will issue you new ones and let you know of any suspicious activity on your account.

Don’t Give Anyone Credit…

If you take action right away, you may not have to contact the major credit bureaus since their reporting is done at a specified time period. You may have to wait for a couple of months to see if anything alarming shows up on your credit report.

Don’t Forget!

If your driver’s license was in your purse or wallet, you need to go to the Department of Motor Vehicle to report the loss and get a new driver’s license. The same is true for your social security card. Go to the Social Security Administration office to request a new card and report the loss.

Being the victim of a theft can be a really scary experience. But don’t let the thieves get away with anything! These important steps will help to ensure that the damage done to your bank accounts and credit is minimal. While it is still an inconvenient and unpleasant experience, not handling the situation properly or quickly can make it much, much worse.

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