Prepare Yourself With My Lost Wallet Protocol

First off, the graph above is obviously false (hopefully). But in all seriousness, no one ever wants to lose their wallet or have it stolen but these unfortunate events do happen to the best of us. Many of us carry a majority of our spending power and personal identification information in our wallets. That is why it is essential to be ready when this does happen to you.

I’ve created an emergency disaster plan in the case when you do lose your wallet or have it stolen. This document is the Lost Wallet Protocol.

It will contain everything you need to do the moment you discover that your wallet is gone. All the information will be in one location so that you do not have to squander around pulling out statements to your credit cards or looking up each bank’s phone number.

Before heading to the document, first follow these basic rules:

• Be safe. Nothing in this world is more important than your life.
• Do not carry more than 2-3 credit/debit cards with you.
• Do not carry your Social Security Number with you in any way (no copies!).
• Make copies of all cards in your wallet and keep them at home.

To download the Lost Wallet Protocol in PDF format, click [here].
To download the Lost Wallet Protocol in Word format, click [here].

How to use the Lost Wallet Protocol

1. Download PDF file or Word document to your computer.
2. Print out the Lost Wallet Protocol.
3. Fill in the first page with any relevant information in your cards. Look up and write down all contact numbers for lost cards now.
4. Keep it with the paper copies of your cards. This is a good way to remember where to find it when you need it.
5. Repeat the above steps for all your family members.

In the Lost Wallet Protocol, you will see that I also created an “Incident Report” section. This page is just to help you record everything regarding the situation. Should you have to file a police report, it will be ready with all the information that you have to provide to an officer. It will also prove to be useful when you have to ask for the status of your report.

Just to note, you will realize that I recommend that you cancel all cards prior to calling the police. Many sources say otherwise. If I were to take the role of the thief or the person of a sinister intent who finds your wallet, I would probably take all the cash and use the cards to purchase whatever I can. Therefore, I believe it is better to reduce the damage financially before notifying the authorities.

I hope this will be a valuable resource to those who use it and to those who will eventually need it.