NINE THINGS TO DO AFTER LOSING YOUR WALLET OR PURSE.....

Losing your wallet or purse is stressful. Your money, credit cards, driver's license--all gone. Don't fret too much about tracking down contact information to close accounts and get things replaced. This to-do list from the Federal Citizen Information Center puts the answers you need all in one place:

1. Make a list of what you had in your wallet or purse (You should do this BEFORE you lose your wallet. Now would be a good time.) and tackle the important things first.

2. Immediately cancel all your credit and debit cards, letting your bank know that your wallet or purse was lost or stolen. Request new copies of the card with a new account number.

3. If you were the victim of theft, file a police report immediately so there is an official record.

4. Report a missing driver's license to your state's department of motor vehicles and request a new copy.

5. Alert the fraud departments of the three major credit reporting companies. They will place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number, and you can request that they alert you before opening a line of credit in your name. (Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; Experian: 1-888-397-3742; Trans Union:1-800-680-7289)

6. Request a replacement Social Security card and consider not carrying it in your wallet in the future.

7. Contact either your company's HR department or your health insurance provider directly to get a replacement insurance card. If you've lost a Medicare card, contact the Social Security Administration to get a replacement.

8. For other club membership, video rental and bonus club cards, you'll have to contact each company individually. Use the [6]directory on www.consumeraction.gov to get a direct line to consumer affairs or member relations departments.

9. If your credit reports suffer damage due to the loss of your wallet or purse, call Global Credit Repair Network for rapid credit repair solutions! We are here to help.

Having your cards lost or stolen can be traumatic. But these tips from the Federal Citizen Information Center can help you recover. The only thing you'll have left to do is pick out a new wallet or a new purse.

HELPFUL TIP: When you are writing checks to pay your credit card accounts, do NOT put the complete account number in the 'For' or 'Memo' line of the check. Instead, just put the last four numbers. Your credit card company already knows the rest of the number. This way anyone who handles your check through all the processing channels won't have access to your complete credit card number. Next time you order checks from your bank, have just your first initial & last name printed on the return address line. If someone takes your checkbook, they won't know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name, but you and your bank will know.