Street smarts matter in the city

The contents of my wallet are slowly trickling back to me. Not the original contents, of course, only replacements. I’m tired of talking about it, and thinking about it. I just want to get all the cards back and move on, be able to sign up for local events, buy holiday gifts, purchase lunches, and not worry about rationing my cash.

It’s been a weird few days. The express DMV downtown was surprisingly fast, the banks and credit companies incredibly helpful. I had a few odd moments with a local institution where I hold a membership, but ultimately everyone accommodated me. I’m constantly checking my accounts to make sure no new charges come across, and keeping as little cash as possible in my checking. I was in a horribly bad mood earlier this week, but running helped, and now I’m feeling good. Tired, but good.

When I called my dad on Saturday night, he said, “I hope you’ve learned something from this.” I rolled my eyes. But the truth is, I have. I was getting pretty lazy about cleaning my wallet after each Sunday errands run. I didn’t really need to keep all my credit cards in there. I should have had the wallet in a zipped compartment. I didn’t need to bring my full wallet out with me to dinner; I could have just brought the basics. I knew all these things, I just didn’t abide by my street smarts.

And streets smarts matter when you’re a girl on the go in the city.

The post Wallet status appeared first on The Budgeting Babe.

While enjoying a tasty burger in a quiet corner at Goose Island’s Clybourn location last night, two men dressed in dark clothing sat at the table behind us without being seated by a host. We didn’t think much of it; the Notre Dame game was on and we assumed they came down from the main bar area trying to get closer to a television. They didn’t order anything; they had water when they sat down. At one point, the man with his back to me got close enough that ManFriend gave them a strange look and asked me if the guy with his back to me touched me. I said no, glanced at them, then turned around and kept eating. They left about five minutes later.

An hour later, when paying for dinner, I reached into my purse, which was slung on the back of my chair with my coat, and noticed my wallet was missing. 

The theft was fast, it was discreet, and it was professional. As I sat and raved about the quality of the goat cheese on my burger, the thieves took my wallet to Target number 2079, just North of Goose Island, and tried to use one credit card to make a $1,300 purchase. They were declined. They then used a second credit card to make the purchase. They made two additional $400 purchases before being declined for another $318 purchase. They were declined again at a gas station nearby. I assume they used the cash in my wallet to pay for the gas.

I arrived home two hours after the wallet was stolen, cancelled all my cards, filed a police report, and alerted the credit bureaus. I keep a sheet of paper with all the account numbers of my wallet contents, as well as the customer service phone numbers, in a safe place just in case this ever were to happen. By about 2 a.m. I had re-ordered all of my credit and insurance cards and the matter was pretty much over. I have zero hope of ever seeing my wallet again.

While I was somewhat prepared for this, I can’t help feeling outsmarted by these thieves. I’ve been putting my purse on the back of chairs, under my coat, for years in bars and restaurants, falsely feeling this was protective. I happened to have a full wallet on this day – I lazily did not leave my wallet at home and only bring the bare minimum with me. I hadn’t cleared out the contents (gift cards, frequent customer cards, insurance cards, receipts) in a while. I ignored the advice of the street-savvy and basically made for an easy target. My guard was down, and I paid for it. Now I must move on.

Living in a big city, eventually you’re bound to be a victim of a crime. I’m thankful it wasn’t a violent crime. I’m more disappointed that it happened and kind of sad that my wallet is gone. My nephew loves playing with that wallet, and all the paperwork and plastic inside hold a piece of who I am; my voter registration card, my driver’s license, my coffee shop punches, some keepsake Euro coins from my trip.

I’m not worried about the money; my credit cards have good fraud protection services and I never carry a lot of cash anyway. I worry that my information is now floating out there in some garbage can, but thieves can get your information anywhere these days if they really want to.

I do wonder about Target, though. I’m not sure what kind of security policy the company has, but the men who stole my wallet clearly could not pass for the picture in my driver’s license photo. Unless they found a blonde-haired, fair-skinned, green-eyed woman to make these purchases, which is possible but highly unlikely. I wonder if Target even asked for an ID card or if they compared signatures. Could the thieves even spell my last name properly? When someone walks into target at 11 p.m. and tries to make an electronic purchase with a declined credit card, do they have a security protocol in place? Do they even care?  I’ll be writing a letter to Target but I don’t expect a response. They’re getting paid for their merchandise, after all. That’s the way it goes.

Aside from writing a letter to Target, now I just wait. I wait to receive new cards. I wait for the DMV to open so I can get a new license. I wait to find out if anyone tries to open any new lines of credit. I wait, frustrated and embarrassed, to see if anything more comes of this.

The post My Wallet Was Stolen Last Night appeared first on The Budgeting Babe.