How my wallet was taken (1 Viewer)

[James Bergeron]

If they don't move I just keep going! I play chicken with them, they will learn!

 

[Kevin P]

If they don't move I just keep going! I play chicken with them, they will learn!

I always learned to get out of the road when a car was coming. I still do so as an adult. 3000 pounds of steel against 150 pounds of flesh, you KNOW who's gonna win, and I can maneuver my 150 pounds of flesh out of the way faster than the 3000 pounds of steel can swerve or stop if they didn't happen to see me... otherwise the 3000 pounds of steel will have the effect of adding a little chlorine to the gene pool...
To get the thread back on topic, I too keep my wallet in my front pocket. One front pocket holds my wallet, the other holds change and my keys. Back pockets are almost always empty, unless I stuff a receipt or something in there. I always forget to empty the back pockets anyway.
And my dockers/dress pants have buttons on the back pockets anyway, so they aren't very useful anyway.
KJP

 

[Terry Hansen]

Several years ago I found a wallet on the road, found the persons ID (accidentally discovered she was a single mom on government assistance) along with $250 cash. To make a long story short, when she came to pick up the wallet and she looked inside to see the cash still there, she insisted on giving me a $50 dollar reward. I said no way, I'm just glad you got your wallet back. Then she started crying and gave me a big hug and said thank you. That was worth more than a couple of hundred dollars.

Moral of the story, being able to look yourself in the mirror in the morning is worth a heck of a lot.

 

[Jarrod_L]

These are the pieces of crap you have to watch out for. 9 times out of 10 the freaks are the cool folks, it's the 'earnest looking' refuse who tend to stab you in the back at the first opportunity.

What goes around comes around.

 

[Mark C Sherman]

When I go out all I have is my Visa Check Card(debit card)
my license and about 10 bucks in my front pocket of course . and the back of my card is signed and says ask for ID. If I lose it i call the bank and cancel it. Cant do that with a hundred dollar Bill.

 

[Philip_G]

not to wander off topic, but I'm with the others, I do not carry cash ever. if I need a haircut, I go to the bank or ATM and grab just what I need. Everything else is visa check card.

But, you do have to watch those, they're so easy to use and there isn't any fraud protection AFAIK, so if someone goes and charges a bunch of crap to your checking account you're screwed.

 

[Mark C Sherman]

Phil most banks have a daily limit so that some one cant go into a store and buy a BIG SCREEN with your card and empty out your account. I set mine at $250.00.


Sorry to go off topic

 

[Philip_G]

that's true marc, I think mine is 200 bucks. But on a college student's budget 200 bucks is a lot

 

[Ryan Wright]

My debit card does not have a limit, other than the amount of cash in my account. I once used it on a $5,500 purchase. There IS, however, an ATM/cash limit. I think it's $500 per day, but I wouldn't know for sure as I've never needed to withdraw that much cash at once.

My debit card is also protected against fraud and I'm sure yours is as well. I'm only liable for the first $50 or so, and if I notify my bank within 3 business days I'm not liable for anything. The problem, of course, is that my checking account could be cleaned out and it may take some time to get the money credited back. Meanwhile other checks may bounce, racking up NSF and late fees, and I doubt those are refundable. With an actual credit card you don't have to worry about this, but then again, with an actual credit card you're not spending your own money.

I write "SEE PHOTO ID" on all of my cards in big black permanent ink where my signature should go. I do not sign them. Some cashiers still don't ask for it, but most reputable stores do.

 

[Nathan*W]

I write "SEE PHOTO ID" on all of my cards in big black permanent ink where my signature should go. I do not sign them. Some cashiers still don't ask for it, but most reputable stores do.

I do this as well. That way if your cards are stolen, the crook doesn't have a copy of your SIGNATURE as well as your cards.

The best fraud protection I ever saw was Citibank's Photo credit card. You sent them a picture of you, and they printed it on the front of the card.

The WORST fraud protection I ever saw is that brand new Discover2go credit card/key chain. It's a small keychain-looking thing that flips out to be a Discover card. The problem is that people are always leaving their keys in various places like restaurants and store counters. Oops, you just gave some lucky person your Discover card. It may be convenient to have a credit card attached to keys, but it's not very financially secure.

 

[Howard Williams]

After we ate, I realized my wallet was gone. Then I realized that I had pulled it out to check it at our original table. I trotted right over to the original table, and realized that somebody had eaten there. Yep, I checked with the people sitting at the adjacent tables and with the server, and discovered that a young couple had been seated there after us...and that they had eaten rather quickly (WAY faster than we did, and we didn't dawdle), and then left. I smiled at the server with a knowing look in my eye, and said "well, I'm sure they paid cash, right?"
Yeah, they paid cash all right. Probably my cash. But regardless, they certainly wouldn't want to pay with a card and leave any kind of trail.

Michael, so you know for sure that the young couple that ate there after you took your wallet? Would you be so sure if they were an elderly couple? I think it's much more likely that an adjacent diner (maybe even the one you questioned) or even one of the staff would have been just as likely or more likely to have seen an opportunity and jumped on it. If that young couple had indeed taken your wallet, do you really think they'd have the nerves to sit down and have a meal, even a quick one? I don't think so. A couple that could do that has ice water in their veins and I think twice before approaching them about anything.

If I'd been that fast eating couple and I had paid by credit card and you contacted me, I would be kinda pissed. Number one, at the establishment that gave you that info and number two, at you, depending on how I was approached. Now if I hadn't taken your wallet and you asked me politely if I noticed it while at the restaurant, you would probably catch me off guard and I'd politely just say "No" and that would probably be the end of it. Afterwards I'd start thinking, "Well how the hell did this guy find out how to contact me?". Now if I had in fact taken your wallet, you'd still get the same answer.

The worse part about losing your wallet is canceling and replacing credit cards, driver license and other ids. I "lost" my wallet twice in my life time and both times I would have gladly sacrificed the cash for knowing I didn't have to go through all the trouble of card cancellations and replacement. The first time I only had about $13 bucks in my wallet. The second time, I had $300. What happened to that wallet is the biggest mystery in my life. There was only one reasonable explanation. It pointed to house guest of a friend of mine. He did ask them very politely if they had noticed my wallet, to which of course they responded "No" and that was the end of that.

 

[MikeAlletto]

Why do you all use your check cards? Why not get a real visa or mastercard and use that? Then you don't have to pay for it right away and you get protection from fraud and other benefits? I NEVER use my check card. I charge everything on amex or discover.

As far as the brats in the street. All of the ones around me move eventually, but some of them, especially the younger ones, take their time in moving out of the way. I'm just eagerly awaiting the day when one of those brats says something. They'll regret it.

 

[Luis Esp]

I once found a file folder with signed cheques totalling over $2500.00 in a phone booth as I left work. My first instinct (which was about a fraction of a microsecond)was that it would be nice to pay off some bills, if I could have gotten away with it, but I knew Karma would be a bitch if I didn't track down the owner.

Took me over 5 hours to finally track the owner, plus I incurred long distance phone charges. He had offered me a reward, but I didn't accept it, just seeing the relief on his face was enough for me.

 

[Sarah S]

I hope your SSN card wasn't in your wallet. Never carry that in your wallet.

 

[Jim_C]

>>The WORST fraud protection I ever saw is that brand new Discover2go credit card/key chain. It's a small keychain-looking thing that flips out to be a Discover card.

 

[MikeAlletto]

The WORST fraud protection I ever saw is that brand new Discover2go credit card/key chain. It's a small keychain-looking thing that flips out to be a Discover card

I actually signed up and got that sent to me just because it looked cool. Its never leaving my apartment or actually going to get used, but its kinda neat design but a bad idea. You do have zero percent liable for false charges with it, but the hassle you'd have to go through to prove you didn't do it is not worth it. I could see using it at the grocery store and if you could just swipe gas pumps i'd use it there also, but I'm too afraid that I'll lose it if I take it out of my apartment with me. For quick use there needs to be something smaller and not labeled like a card. Maybe register finger prints with the credit card companies and install readers everywhere. Choose what card you want to use and just push a button and it scans your finger print, then maybe enter a pin number for the signature. Or wouldn't it be great if you could group all your cards onto one universal card. Just select which one you want to use at that time and swipe.

 

[Scott Strang]

Are you sure one of the table busters didn't get it?

One morning on my way to school I was fueling up my war waggon and for some stupid reason I took out my wallet and left in on the back of my car next to the gas tank receptacle

After getting to school I realized my wallet was gone. I missed class looking throughout my car and found nothing. It was obvious that I had left it on the back of my car. I only had about $20 in it along with 2 or 3 credit cards which I promptly called to cancel.

I went back home to look for the wallet. After checking my answering machine I heard a message from a man that works at Lowes saying that one of his drivers found it and gave it to him.

After getting to Lowes I noticed that the money that was in my wallet was still there; all of it.

I gave the guy that found the wallet the $20 and thanked him contacting me. He refused it until I baggered him to take it.

It was well worth it to give him the money and not have to get a new drivers license and everything else that was in the wallet. If I'd had more I would've liked to give him more.

Honest people hard sometimes hard to come by. But in this case I was pleasently surprised.

 

[Henry Carmona]

I too tap my ass with my wallet, ass, wifes ass in my front pocket.

 

[CaptDS9E]

My wallet is always in my front pocket with my keys on top of it. That way i know if something happens since the keys clang.

capt

 

[Brian Harnish]

I used to carry my wallet in my front right pocket but not anymore. It just got to be too uncomfortable. So now it has a home in that familiar right back pocket where I tap it every thirty minutes to an hour or so that I'm out to be sure it's there.

Why do you all use your check cards? Why not get a real visa or mastercard and use that? Then you don't have to pay for it right away and you get protection from fraud and other benefits? I NEVER use my check card. I charge everything on amex or discover.

I use my debit card because it's quicker, easier, and far more convenient than credit. You don't have to wait 30 days with $400+ in your account to pay. That's what gets me -- I am way too impatient to use that method. I'd rather have money in my account depleted and not have to worry about paying the debt on the credit card at the end of the month.
Use debit cards -- they get rid of worry.