Don’t Carry Your Social Security Card in Your Wallet
If an insidious individual gets a hold of your social security number then you better be sure some form of identity theft will follow. They’ll try to get credit cards or loans in your name, opening up a whole sleuth of problems for you in the future, namely financial ones- to say nothing of the hours you’ll have to spend online or on the phone while trying to fix the issue.
There may be instances where you definitely need to carry your Social Security card with you, for example when you’re filing for benefits or closing on a home. It’s important to then return back home and put the card away safely, don’t just leave it in your wallet for no good reason!
A lot of people have also gotten in the habit of writing down their Social Security number on pieces of paper thinking that this is somehow safer. But the bottom line that has this number out in the open at all is a great risk- one you shouldn’t be taking.
Some old photo IDs still have Social Security numbers on them. If yours does remember that you can request a new one immediately. The additional fees will be worth it when compared to the amount of money you could stand to lose otherwise.
4 thoughts on “6 Dangerous Things in Your Wallet Right Now That Could Ruin Your Life”
I am a novice at this traveling thing. I hear a lot about the Cloud. Would you explain what it is and how do I use it? Furthermore, is the cloud the only use for traveling? I am thinking of taking a vacation with my husband come spring. Please help me figure out what the cloud is and what keeps others from accessing it. I would like to be able to have it figured out before I go on vacation. Please help. Cheers Sarah
My sister di that. She stored everything on cloud, then when we were away on vacay, she tried to access her cloud. It wanted to charge her for everything she was downloading. Being charged for her own stuff, thaks crazy. that was a while ago so I don’t know if the cloud is diferent now and that ws when it first came out.
The cloud is just somebody else’s computer, but given a friendly fluffy name. All Computers can be hacked. Haven’t you noticed all the ransomware being used to make big companies pay $$$$ nowadays?
Agreed 100%. I recently lost my wallet in Vegas. After reporting the loss to the police, I received a follow up phone call from a detective of the police department. We discussed almost exactly the same contents as covered in this article, except the hard copy credit card receipts from the stores. A very interesting perspective from the detective: most lost wallets/purses are picked up by everyday common folks. Even if they aren’t model citizens who would turnthe wallet into the police, or, just drop off into a mail box, they lack the sophistication to venture into the more serious crimes of identity thefts.
That said, still, it’s best to be vigilant to make all the defensive moves after the loss — the sooner the better. One of my best moves after discovery of the loss of my wallet was to remotely turn off my credit cards via the phone apps within minutes. That headed off at least 3 attempts of unauthorized online use of my bank debit card. So, make sure you know how to activate/deactivate your credit/debit cards with your phone. It should be an available feature in your phone app. Walk in to your bank to ask for help if you are not computer savvy enough to figure it out yourself.