Odd subject line, eh? I had a dream a few nights ago that I lost my purse and filled with anxiety in the dream when I realized everything that was in it.... so when I got up the next morning I did a little clean-out of my purse. It was an eye opener. First of all, the same goes for guys with wallets. :nod: I was carrying a couple of credit cards that we never use but haven't closed the account. One was a platinum card with a very high spending limit that would have had some thief having a field day. Why carry it in my purse if I never use it? Why carry insurance cards that are expired but still contain a SSN? Why carry a SSN card if you've never EVER had to show it anywhere? I realized that if I HAD been robbed, it would have been a terrible headache to call around reporting it to a lot more places than I would have needed to call otherwise. Oh, I even had an extra checkbook to another account in my purse! Different bank, different account... and right there for a thief to start writing checks. Sheesh, contacting the ONE bank would be bad enough if my main checkbook was stolen, why offer a robber a second bank account?
Eye-opening, indeed!! I think I need to go through my wallet. Someone suggested making a photocopy of all the cards and things in one's wallet - I think that is a great idea! Then put the copy in a lockbox or somewhere safe so if it's ever needed, it's accessible.
It is a great idea for sure! I'm not certain I would have remembered that unused card... the issuer, the number to call if stolen. I also had forgotten that insurance companies sometimes use a SSN for the ID number. The problem wouldn't be in someone using the insurance card at an ER somewhere, but once your SSN is compromised, there are all kinds of nightmares with identity theft.
Hubby and I only carry specific cards and we're each aware of what the other is carrying. If something were to happen and leave one of us unable to communicated what we'd lost, the other should be able to do so. You might want to try contacting your insurance company so you can request a non-SS# identification number to reduce your risk.
What a strange dream...lol. But you are right, it is an eye opener. Thieves are everywhere and you need to be careful with credit cards these days.
Yes... some of the credit card companies are now doing something (at least it's relatively new to me) where they issue a temp card number for a single purchase and a spending limit of that one purchase. It sure feels a lot safer.
