If you’ve ever lost your wallet, I feel your pain. The hassle of canceling credit cards, getting a new driver’s license, and replacing personal items can ruin your entire month.
These days, however, you must take security a step further and avoid identity theft. Sure, you can replace a few cards and a family photo, but fixing your destroyed credit is a whole new battle.
You can help avoid these headaches by leaving some valuables at home. The following items are things experts say you should never keep in your wallet.
1. Social Security Card
Your Social Security card is one of the last things you want to lose. Losing it instantly makes you vulnerable to identity thieves, who can take out loans in your name and ruin your credit.
Plus, there is no reason to have this document on you. You don’t need your Social Security card on a daily basis, so why leave it in your wallet and expose yourself to potential risk? Instead, keep it in a locked safe at home with other valuable documents.
2. Blank Checks
Despite it being 2024, people still use checks when paying for daily items. While keeping a blank check for emergencies might have been good advice in the past, it’s outdated today.
If a blank check found its way into the hands of a savvy criminal, you could be at risk for potential fraud. Checks contain valuable bank account and routing numbers, which crooks can use to access your banking information. Plus, they usually have your home address, which could lead to even more problems.
3. Old Receipts
Keeping old receipts can be handy for items under warranty or possible future returns. While most stores offer digital receipts, printed ones are still commonly issued. Unless you keep them for the previous reasons, all receipts should be shredded immediately.
Even though your credit card information is not listed on printed receipts, skilled thieves can still find a way to extract vital information. Regarding identity theft, it is better to be safe than sorry.
4. Multiple Credit Cards
Keeping all of your open credit cards in your wallet can make it bulky and leave you stranded if you lose it. You should keep a backup card at home while waiting for your bank to issue replacement cards.
Financial experts say you should keep a rewards card for everyday purchases and an extra card for unplanned or larger purchases. You can leave the rest in your home safe with your Social Security card.
5. Medicare Card
If you carry your Medicare card in your wallet, pull it out and inspect it right away. Older versions of the card had your social security number printed on them. Often, retirees haven’t asked for or been issued a new card in years.
Luckily, the federal government fixed this situation, and new cards are now issued with a unique card number attached to your identity. If you still have the old version, contact Medicare and get issued a new one as soon as possible.
6. Gift Cards
You might want to keep your gift cards in your wallet when you find yourself in a position to use them. However, these gift cards are untraceable if you lose your wallet or it is stolen. Retailers don’t ask for ID when a person uses them, so if someone finds a loaded card, they can use it without any ramifications.
If you have gift cards with high balances, keep them safe at home and plan a specific trip to use them. Don’t let a petty thief get away with your birthday or Christmas gift.
7. Birth Certificate
Losing your birth certificate to a criminal isn’t going to put you in immediate danger, but it will give you a headache. Going through the motions of getting a new certificate can make you pull out your hair.
You will only need to provide this documentation very rarely, so take good care of it on those occasions. When you don’t need it, just practice keeping it at home where it is safe.
8. Spare Keys
Imagine a criminal’s delight if they came across your lost wallet with your address and spare key. That’s like an open invitation to wait for you to go to work and then loot your home. Even if you catch your mistake before you’re robbed, you’ll spend a small fortune for a locksmith to switch out your locks.
Instead, give your spare keys to a trusted neighbor. You might have to wait to get them back, but at least you still have your belongings, and you’re not out $1,000 on locksmith fees.
9. Passport or Passport Card
An intelligent criminal can use your passport to travel in your name, get a duplicate copy of your Social Security card, and open a bank account.
When traveling abroad, experts advise keeping a photocopy of your passport instead of the real thing. While in the States, use your driver’s license as your identification and put away that passport somewhere safe.
10. Work ID Card
Often, a work I.D. card allows you to go into areas where only certain people are allowed. Losing this card can put your workplace in serious jeopardy. You do not want to be the guy who has to go into your boss’s office to tell them they put the company at risk.
Keep that key card locked in your glove box. That way, you won’t forget it at home, and it’s always available when you need it.
11. Membership Cards
If I kept all my membership cards in my wallet, I wouldn’t be able to fit my wallet in my back pocket. Almost every store I shop at has a loyalty program. Luckily, they also allow me to use these programs by entering my phone number.
Take advantage of using your phone numbers and avoid carrying around a brick in your back pocket. Your lower back will thank you.
12. Excessive Cash
It is nice to carry a little cash when you are out in town, but too much cash is dangerous. Almost anywhere you go, most establishments take debit or credit cards. They’re easier to track spending, and in the rare case you lose your wallet, you can cancel your cards without losing money.
That is not the case with cash. If you lose your wallet with $500 in it, odds are you can kiss that cash goodbye. There are very few reasons to carry that much cash on you. Why risk losing it or getting it stolen?
13. Password Cheat Sheet
I understand that it can be hard to keep up with your endless list of passwords for your logins. Each one can be very similar, with one minor detail switched up. It is so frustrating when you have to reset your password, making you have to remember yet another 10-character code.
You might consider having a cheat sheet for all your logins. That sounds helpful. But you should never keep that cheat sheet in your wallet. Lock it up in a desk or a safe, and only open it when you need to log in to your accounts from the safety of your home.
17 DEAD-END CAREERS THAT WILL DISAPPEAR IN THE NEXT DECADE
Experts suggest AI will replace 30% of jobs by 2030. But some are more vulnerable than others. Here are 17 jobs that may not last a decade.
17 DEAD-END CAREERS THAT WILL DISAPPEAR IN THE NEXT DECADE
17 BEST PARTS ABOUT GETTING OLDER – THAT NOBODY TALKS ABOUT
Everyone has something to say about what gets harder as you get older. But there are a lot of positives, too. Here are the 17 best things that come with age.
17 BEST PARTS ABOUT GETTING OLDER – THAT NOBODY TALKS ABOUT
10 U.S. CITIES ON THE BRINK OF BANKRUPTCY
A recent study ranked 75 U.S. cities by their fiscal health, and a surprising number got a failing grade. Here are 10 cities teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.
10 CITIES ON THE BRINK OF BANKRUPTCY
