Life Admin

Lost or Stolen?

Wallet, phone, cards, ID — gone. Here's exactly what to do, in order, with the phone numbers and links you need right now.

Take one breath. You have time. The next 60 minutes matter, but panic doesn't help — methodical action does. Pick what happened below and work the list. Most damage is preventable if you act in the next hour.
// What Happened?
👛
Wallet
(cards + ID)
📱
Phone
(stolen or lost)
💳
Just a card
(credit/debit)
🪪
License or
state ID only
🕵️
Identity theft suspected
Weird charges, accounts you didn't open, breach notice
// Quick-Reference Contacts

The numbers and links you need. Save this page now — you might need it later.

🏦 Major Bank Fraud Lines
Chase1-800-935-2145
Bank of America1-800-432-1000
Wells Fargo1-800-869-1000
Capital One1-800-227-4825
Citi1-800-950-5114
USAA1-800-531-8722
Navy Federal1-888-842-6328
American Express1-800-528-4800
Discover1-800-347-2683

Don't see your bank? The fraud number is on the back of any other card you have, or in your bank's app under "Help" or "Lost/Stolen Card."

📊 Credit Bureaus (Fraud Alerts & Freezes)

You only need to call one bureau for a fraud alert — they're required by law to share it with the other two within 24 hours. For a credit freeze, you need to do all three separately.

Experianexperian.com/fraud
Experian (phone)1-888-397-3742
Equifaxequifax.com
Equifax (phone)1-800-685-1111
TransUniontransunion.com/fraud-alerts
TransUnion (phone)1-888-909-8872
Free credit reportsannualcreditreport.com
📱 Find My Phone & Account Recovery
Find My iPhoneicloud.com/find
Find My Device (Android)google.com/android/find
Apple ID Recoveryiforgot.apple.com
Google Account Recoveryaccounts.google.com/recovery
Verizon (suspend service)1-800-922-0204
T-Mobile1-800-937-8997
AT&T1-800-331-0500
🛡️ Identity Theft & Government Resources
FTC Identity Theftidentitytheft.gov
SSA Fraud Hotline1-800-269-0271
IRS Identity Theft1-800-908-4490
USPS Mail Theft1-877-876-2455
Find your local DMVusa.gov/dmv
// Things You Probably Don't Know
Fraud Alert vs. Credit Freeze vs. Credit Lock — what's the difference?
Fraud Alert (free, 1 year, easy): A note on your credit file telling lenders to verify your identity before opening new credit. Lenders aren't legally required to check, but most do. Call one bureau — they share it with the others. Good first step in any suspicious situation.

Credit Freeze (free, permanent until you lift it, strongest): Locks your credit file completely. No new credit can be opened in your name without you temporarily lifting the freeze with a PIN. You have to do this with all three bureaus separately. Doesn't affect existing accounts. The strongest protection — and free since 2018.

Credit Lock (paid, instant, convenience): Similar to a freeze but managed through the bureau's app, often included in paid identity protection products. Faster to lift but not legally equivalent to a freeze in some states. If you don't already pay for one of these services, just use the free freeze.

Bottom line: Suspect any fraud → fraud alert immediately (one call). Real evidence of identity theft → credit freeze at all three bureaus.
When should I file a police report?
Always: Phone stolen (your carrier insurance and Apple/Google insurance often require a police report number for claims), wallet stolen with valuables.

Usually yes: Identity theft with confirmed fraudulent accounts, lost ID with reason to suspect theft.

Probably not necessary: Card lost (not stolen) and quickly canceled with no fraud, license simply misplaced at home.

How to file: Use the non-emergency line for your local police, not 911 (911 is for crimes in progress or emergencies). Most cities also let you file online for property theft. Get the report number — you may need it for insurance, banks, or the FTC. Filing takes 15-30 minutes and is free.
What if my Social Security number is exposed?
SSN exposure scenarios: Wallet had your SS card (don't carry it!), data breach notification, fraudulent tax return filed in your name, or someone using your SSN for employment.

Immediate steps:
1. Place a credit freeze at all three bureaus. This is the single most effective thing you can do.
2. File at identitytheft.gov — generates an Identity Theft Report you'll need everywhere else.
3. If a tax return was fraudulently filed: file IRS Form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit). Call IRS at 1-800-908-4490.
4. Check your Social Security earnings record at ssa.gov/myaccount for unexpected employment.

SSN replacement: The SSA almost never issues new numbers, even after theft. They'd rather you monitor and freeze. Don't get a new SSN unless your case is severe and the SSA approves it.

You don't need to pay anyone: "Identity protection" services charge $10-30/month for things you can do free. The credit freeze is the actual protection — paid services just monitor and notify.
Lost phone — am I about to be cleaned out?
If your phone has a strong passcode (6+ digits or alphanumeric): Almost certainly fine. iPhones and modern Androids encrypt everything; without your passcode, the phone is a brick. Most thieves immediately wipe and resell. Your accounts and data are safe.

If your phone has biometric only (Face ID/Touch ID/fingerprint) without a strong backup PIN: Still mostly fine, but slightly less so. The passcode behind biometrics is usually 6 digits — guessable in extreme cases.

If you're worried, do this in order:
1. Mark as Lost via Find My iPhone or Find My Device — this remotely locks the phone with a custom message.
2. Change your Apple ID or Google password from another device — invalidates active sessions.
3. Sign out of email and banking apps remotely — most have a "device list" or "active sessions" page where you can kick the lost phone off.
4. Freeze cards in any digital wallet (Apple Pay/Google Pay) — call your bank or use the app on another device.

Don't do this: Don't immediately remote-wipe your phone. Once wiped, you lose location tracking. Mark as lost first, give it 24-48 hours to see if you recover it, then wipe if you've given up.
"Find My" says my phone is at someone's house. Should I go get it?
No.

Your phone is replaceable. Your life is not. Police regularly recover phones from confirmed locations — that's why they exist. Going alone to confront a stranger over a $700 device is how people get hurt or killed for no reason.

What to do instead: Take a screenshot of the location, call the non-emergency police line, give them the address and your account information, and let them handle it. They may or may not pursue it depending on jurisdiction — but either way, the right answer is not "I'll just go knock."

Even if it looks like a friend's house — call first. Don't show up. Phones move through hands quickly after theft.
Replacing your driver's license — what to bring
Every state DMV is slightly different, but you generally need two forms of identification from this list:

• U.S. Passport or Passport Card
• Birth certificate (original or certified copy)
• Social Security card
• Military ID
• Other government-issued photo ID

Plus proof of residency (utility bill, lease, recent bank statement at your current address) and the replacement fee — usually $10-$30.

Many states allow online replacement if you've been issued a license recently (last 10 years or so) and your basic info hasn't changed. Check your state's DMV website first — could save you a trip.

Note your old license number if you have it (look at old photos of yourself, or pull up an old auto insurance card). Makes the process much faster.
// Future-You Will Thank You
10 things to do this week so future-you isn't stranded
1. Photograph your wallet contents. Lay out every card front-and-back, take a photo, save it to a private cloud folder (not your camera roll). If everything goes missing, you'll have account numbers and customer service numbers.

2. Set up Find My iPhone or Find My Device. If you don't have it on, you can't find your phone. 30 seconds in Settings.

3. Use a strong phone passcode. 6+ digits minimum, alphanumeric is even better. Face ID/Touch ID with a 4-digit PIN is weak.

4. Take your SS card OUT of your wallet. You almost never need it — you do need to know the number. Memorize it, store the card at home in a fireproof spot.

5. Use Apple Pay or Google Pay where you can. Tokenized — your actual card number isn't transmitted. If your phone is stolen and locked, the cards are useless to the thief.

6. Enable 2FA on your email. Email is the master key to everything else (every "forgot password" link goes there). Use an authenticator app, not SMS, if possible.

7. Set up account recovery now — recovery email, recovery phone, backup codes. Try this before you need it.

8. Use a password manager. 1Password, Bitwarden, Apple Keychain, Google Password Manager — pick one. Reusing passwords is the #1 cause of cascading account takeovers.

9. Place a free credit freeze even if nothing has happened. Costs nothing. Lift it temporarily when you need credit. Strongest possible protection.

10. Keep emergency cash somewhere not in your wallet. $40-$100 in your car glove box, in a drawer at home, somewhere. If your wallet vanishes, you're not stranded.
// Common Questions
Note: This guide is for general lost/stolen items, not in-person robbery. If you've been physically threatened or assaulted, your safety comes first — get to a safe location, call 911 if injured or in danger, and consider victim support services. Bank phone numbers verified accurate as of publication. Always cross-check by calling the number on the back of any card you have. See also: Privacy Checkup | Credit Cards 101 | Credit Score Simulator