by Matt Fry
Many guys will always have their wallet with them. They usually put it into the same pocket every single time they are done using it. Everything a man needs can be held in there. From money, to bank or ATM cards, to insurance cards, to his license or state ID, school ID, his social security card, anything. Really, just about anything that he needs in could be in there. Every guy has their own organizational technique they use, and that could be displayed by their wallets. There are many kinds of wallets that fit different people better than others. Some have chains that clip to you, some don’t. Some are a bi-fold, and some are tri-fold. Some are designed to look “cool” or goofy. No matter how they look, or what they do… most wallets work the same way, and do the same thing. For most guys, a wallet is his lifeline. But what would happen if he was to misplace or lose that wallet? What is he to do to protect himself after this happens? What can he do to prevent that from happening?
Well, I had lost my wallet over the weekend. I didn’t have any money to pay for gas, or get something to snack on. I worried about being pulled over because I didn’t have my driver’s license. I couldn’t go to an ATM and pull any money out. I was left in a position that I almost couldn’t make it back to Washington! I made it home with fumes left in my tank. And right after I got home. I tried to do anything and everything that I needed to do to make sure I didn’t lose any more of my money. Or lose my identity! First, after driving all the way home. I called my bank/ATM card numbers and tried to get them canceled. The number wasn’t working because I had called them past office hours. So I had to wait another two days before they opened again! I signed up for life-lock because there isn’t much you can do to stop your social security number, you can’t cancel it, and you can’t protect it once it has left your hands. The best you can do is hope that whoever finds your wallet don’t know what to do with that number. Signing up for life-lock will alert you if there is something that goes on that includes you, without YOU knowing. Meaning that if someone goes and tries to buy a $40,000 car that is half way around the world. The company can contact you. See if you really are the one trying to buy that car, And if not; that other person isn’t able to buy anything else. And they also get caught!
But after replacing my driver’s license and bank cards. I checked my bank account. And there hasn’t been any activity on my account. So now, I do know that whoever has found my wallet hadn’t touched my banks. This is good, less for me to worry about. But if they wouldn’t take money from a bank. Then what will they do with your wallet? Some people will take any cash you have in there. And just throw the wallet in the trash. But then there are other people that will look in every corner of the wallet to get as much as they can out of it. And then there are the few kind hearted people that will take it home and try to mail it back to you using the address on your state ID, or your driver’s ID. So therefore you do have a small chance to get your wallet back. But that is just a small chance. Don’t think this can never happen to you. One little mistake can turn your whole day upside-down and just might turn your whole life upside-down. So take little steps to save you the trouble now! One thing I’m going to do is find a new wallet that clips to my belt, or belt loop. So that way it can’t be easily dropped. And then just know what you keep in there and what it can do if it falls into the wrong hands. Lastly, try not to keep super important things in there.
Images by Ruben Otero and Daniel Ostapenko