🔑Lost your wallet? What to do in the first hour

The FTC's own steps for cards, license, and passport, minus the part where you panic. do this first: the calls, not the paperwork.

Never miss an update

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At most one short email a week. Unfollow in one click.

Cancel and replace your cards first

call the number on the back of a different card or your bank statement, never a number from a text someone sent you.

Ask the rep to check the last 24 hours of transactions before you hang up

do this first if your ID or SSN card was in there too, not just a lone debit card.

Consider a one-year fraud alert instead if a full freeze feels like overkill

the math on freeze vs. alert mostly comes down to whether your SSN card or a blank check was in there too.

some states flag the number so a fake ID made with it gets caught.

File a police report if it was stolen, not just misplaced, and list what was inside

(learned this one late) insurance and some banks want the report number, not just your word.

Update any autopay tied to the old card once the new one lands

If an hour in you still can't find it and something's already been used, file at identitytheft.gov for a personalized recovery plan

Or start a list of your own. Free, it takes a minute.

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