Bag Stolen - What should I check to close
Discussion
My lovely lady has just had her bag stolen from a pub in Hammersmith. Unfortunately it had most of her life in it including driver license with home address and her house keys. Also it had all her cards, mobile phone, TFL year travel card.
Cancelling everything now, but is there anything extraordinary I should make sure is sorted to stop identity theft, or any obvious things we should do.
She is obviously distraught and slightly worried that someone is going to break into our flat (sorting locksmiths now)
Cancelling everything now, but is there anything extraordinary I should make sure is sorted to stop identity theft, or any obvious things we should do.
She is obviously distraught and slightly worried that someone is going to break into our flat (sorting locksmiths now)
Get onto insurance and call out a locksmith. (Insurance will probably pay for emergency call out)
Painful, annoying, frustrating and upsetting as it is to lose so much in one go (I've had my briefcase stolen before with my entire life in, so I speak from experience) - it would be far worse to have home turned over.
Cancel everything, even things that you are not 100% certain were in the bag - safer to cancel and re-instate if you find it later.
Make sure you get a crime number from plod too.
ETA: Is there any possibility of passwords or online banking pins or similar in the bag? I know some women have enormous amounts of personal information in their handbags. If so, take whatever action you need to prevent problems.
When my briefcase was swiped, I cancelled all of my bank accounts, re-opened them immediately with new account numbers, contacted DVLA, Passport office, Inland Revenue, etc etc etc. I'm afraid it was painful for a couple of weeks - mainly because with the bank account changes, I had no access to my cash, other than withdrawing over the counter at my own branch whilst providing ID - oh no, I hadn't got a passport or Driving Licence had I?!
In my case, my damned case turned up two weeks later in someones back garden - with the contents exactly as they were when it was stolen from my car.......
Painful, annoying, frustrating and upsetting as it is to lose so much in one go (I've had my briefcase stolen before with my entire life in, so I speak from experience) - it would be far worse to have home turned over.
Cancel everything, even things that you are not 100% certain were in the bag - safer to cancel and re-instate if you find it later.
Make sure you get a crime number from plod too.
ETA: Is there any possibility of passwords or online banking pins or similar in the bag? I know some women have enormous amounts of personal information in their handbags. If so, take whatever action you need to prevent problems.
When my briefcase was swiped, I cancelled all of my bank accounts, re-opened them immediately with new account numbers, contacted DVLA, Passport office, Inland Revenue, etc etc etc. I'm afraid it was painful for a couple of weeks - mainly because with the bank account changes, I had no access to my cash, other than withdrawing over the counter at my own branch whilst providing ID - oh no, I hadn't got a passport or Driving Licence had I?!
In my case, my damned case turned up two weeks later in someones back garden - with the contents exactly as they were when it was stolen from my car.......
Edited by Meeja on Tuesday 21st October 23:37
Locksmith will be here in 30 minutes... so irritating, why people do this and steal peoples lives. It wasnt even a busy pub and both the girls in our group had their bags stolen 
Just had a car pull up outside and then drive away again.. could be nothing, could be them coming to knick my heavy TV
Just had a car pull up outside and then drive away again.. could be nothing, could be them coming to knick my heavy TV
Obviously, cancel/report anything you can think of. But, by far the worst are the debit cards as they can spend quite a lot of money very quickly and, worse, she may be liable for it up to the point that she reports them stolen. Credit cards in the same way, though they tend to (depends on her terms!) include insurance against this.
There isn't much that a 'normal' tea leaf can do with e.g. drivers license, etc, that will cause her much financial harm. Ditto mobile phones, etc.
Do phone the BiB; they'll likely only give you a crime number, but it'll be on record and help any insurance claim.
ETA- following Meeja's comment. If the bag contained the keys to your house and the address, you'll be up until the locksmith arrives. And, probably, for a while after. Sorry, dude.
There isn't much that a 'normal' tea leaf can do with e.g. drivers license, etc, that will cause her much financial harm. Ditto mobile phones, etc.
Do phone the BiB; they'll likely only give you a crime number, but it'll be on record and help any insurance claim.
ETA- following Meeja's comment. If the bag contained the keys to your house and the address, you'll be up until the locksmith arrives. And, probably, for a while after. Sorry, dude.
Edited by grumbledoak on Tuesday 21st October 23:41
RacingPete said:
Locksmith will be here in 30 minutes... so irritating, why people do this and steal peoples lives. It wasnt even a busy pub and both the girls in our group had their bags stolen
Just had a car pull up outside and then drive away again.. could be nothing, could be them coming to knick my heavy TV
Paranoia will get you for a while I'm afraid. For days afterwards in my case, I heard EVERY noise, and was wandering downstairs with a piece of 4x2 and a big maglite regularly in the early hours.... even though the one thing that wasn't in my case were my keys!Just had a car pull up outside and then drive away again.. could be nothing, could be them coming to knick my heavy TV
Meeja said:
For days afterwards in my case, I heard EVERY noise, and was wandering downstairs with a piece of 4x2 and a big maglite regularly in the early hours.... !
Must get a big maglite!I haven't reported the car as I didn't get the license plate as the angle through the window was too tight, though took a best guess and dont think it is the same as the lookups I have done online don't think match... though thinking back now doubting what the car was (I would be rubbish spotting a line-up)
Anyone know how to cancel DVLA license.. cant find anything online?
Meeja said:
When my briefcase was swiped, I cancelled all of my bank accounts, re-opened them immediately with new account numbers, contacted DVLA, Passport office, Inland Revenue, etc etc etc. I'm afraid it was painful for a couple of weeks - mainly because with the bank account changes, I had no access to my cash, other than withdrawing over the counter at my own branch whilst providing ID - oh no, I hadn't got a passport or Driving Licence had I?!
I've just had the same happen here - new debit card I'd only had a few weeks (and had been a right job to get), keys to a flat I've been in a couple of weeks, phone I got off ebay a month earlier and spent ages tweaking, passport that will cost £114 to replace via. the consulate. Right pain in the ass! Also the keys were the only set for the flat, luckily the window lock was broken so we climbed up a fence onto the balcony and got in that way, avoided locksmith's Sunday fees!DVLA posted the forms to me here (Sydney), cost them £2.50 so it's not all bad.
Edited by g_attrill on Tuesday 21st October 23:53
RacingPete said:
Meeja said:
For days afterwards in my case, I heard EVERY noise, and was wandering downstairs with a piece of 4x2 and a big maglite regularly in the early hours.... !
Must get a big maglite!I haven't reported the car as I didn't get the license plate as the angle through the window was too tight, though took a best guess and dont think it is the same as the lookups I have done online don't think match... though thinking back now doubting what the car was (I would be rubbish spotting a line-up)
Anyone know how to cancel DVLA license.. cant find anything online?
And yes - get a maglite.... a perfectly legal-to-own weapon!!
Meeja said:
I cancelled all of my bank accounts, re-opened them immediately with new account numbers
Do you think it is worth changing the account numbers too... how much can someone do with just the account numbers?Also she said she had mine and her brother account details in her bag too, should I be contacting my bank too?
RacingPete said:
Meeja said:
I cancelled all of my bank accounts, re-opened them immediately with new account numbers
Do you think it is worth changing the account numbers too... how much can someone do with just the account numbers?Also she said she had mine and her brother account details in her bag too, should I be contacting my bank too?
They looked after all of the re-routing of direct debits etc..... expect that they didn't, but that's another story. My advise would be "better safe than sorry", it'll just be a couple of hours tomorrow to wade through, and it will actually make her feel better as subconciously she knows that with the original account closed, no one can access the cash using the old account details. Just make sure that you write to all direct debit people and advise them of the new account details - just in case the bank cock up. Better a payee hears it twice than not at all.... again, not a huge job, just make a template in word and mail merge in the address and reference details, then print off everything in one go.
Yes to informing the brother, and you speaking to your bank too.
RacingPete said:
Locksmith will be here in 30 minutes... so irritating, why people do this and steal peoples lives. It wasnt even a busy pub and both the girls in our group had their bags stolen
Just had a car pull up outside and then drive away again.. could be nothing, could be them coming to knick my heavy TV
Firstly sorry to hear of the theft and the hassle.Just had a car pull up outside and then drive away again.. could be nothing, could be them coming to knick my heavy TV
Secondly, were they robbed as in Stand and Deliver type theft or were they dozey and left them out of site or on chairs whilst they went off to their synchronised toilet break?
Stigmundfreud said:
Firstly sorry to hear of the theft and the hassle.
Secondly, were they robbed as in Stand and Deliver type theft or were they dozey and left them out of site or on chairs whilst they went off to their synchronised toilet break?
No synchronised toilet break, I was sat at the table with the other girl's husband all night too (neither of the boys were drinking)... Three of us at the table all the time and not one noticed anyone go near our table once. Completely flumuxed by the mystery act.Secondly, were they robbed as in Stand and Deliver type theft or were they dozey and left them out of site or on chairs whilst they went off to their synchronised toilet break?
Identity theft would be the major worry for me.
Mother-in-Law had her purse stolen on a London bus. Of course it had her driving licence in it and within a few days thousands of pounds worth of loans and credit had been taken out in 'her' name.
I'm presuming that as a mature lady of apparent means (she's smartly dressed and the theft happened outside Harrod's) she'd been targeted as someone likely to have a blemish-free credit record.
The credit reference agency Experian offer a service which claims to alert you to requests for credit on 'your' behalf - could be worth a try: http://www.creditexpert.co.uk/id-theft.aspx
Mother-in-Law had her purse stolen on a London bus. Of course it had her driving licence in it and within a few days thousands of pounds worth of loans and credit had been taken out in 'her' name.
I'm presuming that as a mature lady of apparent means (she's smartly dressed and the theft happened outside Harrod's) she'd been targeted as someone likely to have a blemish-free credit record.
The credit reference agency Experian offer a service which claims to alert you to requests for credit on 'your' behalf - could be worth a try: http://www.creditexpert.co.uk/id-theft.aspx
RacingPete said:
Stigmundfreud said:
Firstly sorry to hear of the theft and the hassle.
Secondly, were they robbed as in Stand and Deliver type theft or were they dozey and left them out of site or on chairs whilst they went off to their synchronised toilet break?
No synchronised toilet break, I was sat at the table with the other girl's husband all night too (neither of the boys were drinking)... Three of us at the table all the time and not one noticed anyone go near our table once. Completely flumuxed by the mystery act.Secondly, were they robbed as in Stand and Deliver type theft or were they dozey and left them out of site or on chairs whilst they went off to their synchronised toilet break?
I had a laptop bag stolem from a boozer in Chiswick a few year ago ... they switched it with another bag that they had already ripped off and emptied.
I never noticed until i went to pick it up at the end of the evening and found that my bag was much lighter .... and was slightly different.
Scum!
I lernt an important lesson about backing up personal data on a laptop that day!!
Phone Experian, ask them to put a note on your file so that if anyone applies for credit under your names they call you to check.
Phone the banks, all of them, shut those accounts immediately and transfer all the monies in them to another account, newly opened.
Phone plod.
Check your household insurance, they may have something to assist at a time like this.
Was a mobile in there? If so, contact the mobile provider, advise what has happened. I think they may just stop all calls to and from that number, which is a pain for you.
Were your car keys in there? Any other keys? (Work etc?)
Phone the banks, all of them, shut those accounts immediately and transfer all the monies in them to another account, newly opened.
Phone plod.
Check your household insurance, they may have something to assist at a time like this.
Was a mobile in there? If so, contact the mobile provider, advise what has happened. I think they may just stop all calls to and from that number, which is a pain for you.
Were your car keys in there? Any other keys? (Work etc?)
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