Skip to main content

I Lost My Wallet - 3 Things I Immediately Did!

The horror in my face is indescribable. My friend told me he can't find his wallet. Since our wallets are of the same looks, I jokingly told him that I may have unintentionally kept it in my bag. So I began looking at my bag. I didn't find his wallet...and mine. I searched the entire house and asked people I've been with but to no avail. I conceded...I lost my wallet. My friend found his wallet.

My lost wallet.

What's in my wallet?

Not much cash. I think I have around 700 Pesos cash. Then I have 2 active Credit Cards and 3 ATM/Debit Carts. I also have 2 Health Cards, and one government ID card.

So what did I do upon realizing I lost it.

1. Blocked my credit cards.

This is probably the first thing you should do once you are convinced that you really lost your wallet with credit cards inside. Credit cards can easily be swiped by anyone. While some merchants would ask for an ID or check the signature, many don't do such security measures. 

How to contact your credit card company? Well, the fastest would probably be through telephone. And for those outside Manila, toll-free numbers can readily be called on a regular landline. You can also do email or live chat (it available).

For those who haven't lost their wallets yet, now is the time to know what to do in case this tragedy befalls you. And I'll tell you, even the most careful person can lose a wallet.

The credit card companies are very quick in responding to reports of lost or stolen cards. They immediately offered to replace my cards as soon as possible. One credit card company promised 3 to 7 banking days. 

Credit card replacement comes at a fee but depending on your status as a customer, you can request them to waive it.

The time that elapsed between the time I last saw my wallet and the time I realized it's gone is about 15 hours. That is enough time to do fraudulent transactions. Fortunately, no such transactions happened.

2. Drained all my ATMs

You may ask: Why not block the ATMs as well? Well, it boils down to me hoping that some kind honest-hearted person will return my wallet. 

While my ATMs can be swiped in purchasing items, I can manage the risk by emptying them of their funds. Way before this tragedy happened, I already set-up my account in a way that I can easily move money and transfer it to my trusted friends and family members. That set-up turned out to be wise. Using online facilities, I emptied my ATM cards of funds and transferred the money to safe havens.

Why not just replace the ATMs like the credit cards? It can be done but it's more complicated than credit card. For one thing I need to have an affidavit of loss before the bank issues a replacement card.

3. Moved On

The loss of my wallet is tragic considering the hassle it brought to me. But to be honest, it's a learning experience. Analyzing what happened and why I ended up losing my wallet will surely help me to prevent similar cases in the future. I also told my story to my friends and they learned something new as well.


Comments

  1. Great info! I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have
    jogos friv gratis 2019
    Jogos 2019
    jogos friv

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

4 Steps to Replace Stolen or Lost Passbook

My passbook (inside my bag) was recently stolen inside a local grocery store, and I would like to share the steps I took to secure my account and get a new passbook.      By User:Aerous ", CC BY-SA 3.0 , Link The steps outlined here are for a BPI savings account, but generally, the procedure will be very similar to other banks in the Philippines. 1. Call the Bank to Secure Your Account The first and most crucial step you need to do immediately is to contact your bank by phone or personally report it to the branch where you opened the account. This action will ensure that funds will stay put. The bank will lock the account immediately. The big banks have 24/7 hotlines. For BPI, it's 889-100. You have to do this step ASAP after discovering the loss. 2. Go to the Branch to Ask for a Replacement of the Passbook It can mean a simple replacement of the lost passbook, but it can also mean closing the entire account and opening a new one for security purposes. 3. Get an Affidav

Resigning? SSS Will Deduct Your Loan Balance from Your Last Pay

The purpose of this article is to inform the public about this policy of the Social Security System (SSS), the government-owned insurance company for those employed in the private sector. I just learned about this a few months ago when my company announced a workforce reduction program. Among the sad discussions is about this policy of SSS regarding loans in cases of resignation or retrenchment. Section G-2 of the SSS Loan Terms and Conditions (at the back of the loan application form) explicitly says the following: "The employer shall deduct the total balance of the loan from any benefit/s due to the employee and shall remit the same in full to SSS, in case the member-borrower is separated voluntarily (e.g., retirement or resignation) or involuntarily (e.g., termination of employment or cessation of operations of the company)." In other words, y ou will be required to pay the rest of your loan (including the interest) when you change employer or employment statu

How Much Does a MRI Scan Costs in the Philippines?

My dad needs a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan for his prostate problem. I did a little research on how much does it cost to have one. Well, it depends on many factors, such as which body part is to be scanned. There's also this technique called "MRI with contrast," wherein the patient will be injected with a chemical to make the scan clearer. For your information, this technique of adding contrast is known as  Gadolinium Contrast Medium . It adds cost to the procedure, but with more clarity, the more you can trust the diagnosis. MRI Machine KasugaHuang , CC BY-SA 3.0 , Link So, in my father's case, we had a  Prostate MRI,  and I assume it was without contrast since he was never injected with the "contrast" chemicals. We got it in  i-Scan Healthcare Inc.  here in Quezon City. The cost is  13000 Pesos . Please take note that the amount was just for the scan, and a separate professional will read the result. Some laboratories offer this service (i.e