What Do I Do If My Credit Card Is Missing?

You have just got home from a store and when you look in your wallet your credit card is gone. What do you do next?

Losing a credit card is a common occurrence you shouldn’t panic about. As long as you act promptly you can avoid having your identity stolen and prevent anyone from using it.

Was It Stolen?

The first thing you should do when you notice your credit card is missing is think about the last place you saw it. Did you just use it? Did you leave your wallet somewhere unattended?

You want to quickly establish whether you think you have lost it or it was stolen because if it was stolen you want to act quickly to prevent it from being used.

It Was Lost

If you think it is just lost, retrace your steps or contact the store you last used it in to see if any employee has spotted it. It is likely that someone has spotted it and given it to an employee or it is on the ground or a counter somewhere.

If you can find it quickly you don’t need to worry about putting a freeze on the account or your credit because it is very unlikely that the card was used or tampered with.

It Was Stolen

If your wallet was left unattended or your purse was taken your card was likely stolen and will probably be used in some way by a scammer. This is what you need to act fast when you notice that it is gone!

Your first step should be to call your credit card company to freeze the account and cancel your card. You also might be able to establish a freeze through your online banking app, which would be faster and easier.

If it has been gone for a while and you think it might have been used, be sure to put a freeze on all of your credit to make sure they haven’t accessed any of your personal information.

After securing your accounts file a report of the theft to both the police and the credit card bureaus so there is a record of possibly illicit activity on your accounts. By doing this you are making it easier to fight against any illicit transactions that may still occur.

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