Bail Out Your Billfold
We won’t mince words: Losing your wallet sucks. But depending on what you have stashed in your billfold, misplacing it could either be a mild inconvenience … or a catastrophe.
Prefer the former? Then we’ve got a list of 14 things you should never keep in your wallet to keep your losses to a minimum.
Your Social Security Card
Carrying your social security card around? Bad idea. Think about it: Lose your wallet, and bam, you’re an identity thief’s jackpot.
Keep it stashed at home, and only bring it out when you need it for a new job or a similar occasion.
Passwords or Pin Numbers
Jotting down passwords or PINs in your wallet is a big no-no. If your wallet goes missing, you’re basically asking for hackers to have a go at your accounts. Go digital with a nifty password manager instead.
Several Credit Cards
Hoarding credit cards in your wallet? That’s just asking for a headache. Lose it, and you’re playing a never-ending game of phone tag with banks. Keep it simple – one for personal stuff and maybe another for emergencies.
Here are more credit card mistakes you’re probably making.
Blank Checks
Keeping blank checks in your wallet is like handing out free passes to your bank account. Only carry what you need, and treat those checks like a wad of cash — because, really, they kinda are.
Excess Cash
Walking around with a fat wallet of cash feels good, but if you lose your wallet, the odds of keeping your green aren’t good. Besides, if you’re out and about and a potential thief sees you flashing all kinds of big bills with a stuffed wallet in tow, you’ve immediately become a prime target in their eyes.
Stick to what you need for the day, or just go cashless.
Spare Keys
Spare keys in your wallet might seem like a good idea — until you lose them. Now, some random guy could be two steps away from showing himself in. Better call: Leave a spare with a buddy or hidden at home.
A Passport Card
Similar to storing your social security card in your wallet, carrying your passport card daily could end poorly. Only pack this precious card for real-deal travel times.
Losing your passport is also one of many airport mistakes you want to avoid.
Irreplaceable Photos
That irreplaceable photo of your loved ones? One lost wallet and those memories are history. Go digital – your phone and the cloud are way safer.
Multiple Gift Cards
A wallet bursting with gift cards is a mini-treasure trove you don’t want to lose. Only tote what you plan to spend, and leave the rest at home.
There are also plenty of other gift card mistakes to avoid.
A Birth Certificate
Keeping your birth certificate in your wallet is like carrying your life story in your back pocket — a big risk for little gain. If you need to show proof of who you are, a copy will do just fine. Keep the real deal under lock and key.
Your Phone
Many wallets are designed to support maximum efficiency nowadays, including many that are directly attached to smartphone cases. While it’s convenient enough to have your wallet, ID, and phone all in one place, if you lose one of these items, you end up losing them all.
Plus, were a thief to end up getting their hands on all of that at once, it would be terribly easy for them to unleash havoc on your bank account.
Receipts
It’s understandable if you recently made a purchase that you’re not sure you’ll keep and want to keep the receipt to make a return. However, in this day and age it’s easier than ever to ask the store merchant for a digital copy of your receipt that you can receive via email. When you keep paper receipts in your wallet they oftentimes have the last 5 digits of your credit card number.
Modern day identity thieves are unfortunately crafty enough that they can end up phishing for the rest of your credit card number by merely using your full name. Usually your full name will be printed out on those paper receipts. So, just play it safe and keep it digital.
Medicare Card
While carrying your Medicare card on you if you have to visit the doctor is a must, to carry it around with you all of the time is overdoing it. If you misplace your wallet and you have a Medicare card that has identifying information like your Social Security number on it (as older cards do), it’s much easier for an identity thief to carry out chaos on something like your bank account.
So, just avoid keeping your Medicare card in your wallet unless you’re visiting your doctor or healthcare provider.
Work ID or Access Badges
Carrying your work ID or access badge in your wallet might seem convenient, but it’s a security risk you don’t need to take. If it’s stolen, it could give someone unauthorized access to your workplace — or worse, your personal information.
Keep it separate and secure, and only take it with you when you actually need it.
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This article was originally published on Cheapism
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