Things to Do When My Wallet Lost in Singapore
April 22, 2020 by Lost Found Rewards in Blog

Things to Do When My Wallet Lost in Singapore

About My Wallet Lost in Singapore

Every person has had their misfortunes, and one of them is misplacing your items. Many of your belongings can easily be replaced, but the most painful thing is to lose your wallet. It can happen anywhere, even overseas. I will tell you about my wallet lost in Singapore when I travelled there for vacation. You should also know what can be done in case it happens to you as well.

 

What if You Never Find It Again?

You can only think about things like having to replace all your IDs, debit cards, credit cards, and the cash that you will lose. This is a very frustrating and scary experience, and not being in your own country just makes it a lot more stressful.

 

What I Did About My Wallet Lost in Singapore

Contact the Police

If you think that your wallet got lost or stolen, your first initiative must be to call the police. Even if they might be unable to find your wallet, reporting about it will help you in many ways. In case the thief tries to steal your identity, you must prove that you must not be charged for the costs because it is not your responsibility. Someone could lose here, which could either be the bank, your credit card company, or even you. When you tell them you are the victim, they will make you prove it. The police report you filed can be used as proof to show that you are not lying about it.

Inform your Debit and Credit Card Company

You must inform your bank or card issuer if your wallet has your ATM, credit, and debit cards. You are going to be happy that you acted right away because you will prevent any unauthorized transaction while your wallet was lost. Report that your cards were lost, instead of having your bank cancel them. Banks have a procedure that suspends your card so no one can do transactions using them.

After that, have your cards replaced with new ones. Only the DBS/POSB banks deliver your ATM card to you. Even if UOB or Maybank requires you to personally go to their branches, they will ask for your IC. If your IC got lost, take your passport with you and do the next one.

Get an Identity Card (IC) Replacement

Your IC is a very important thing that you must always have with you if you lose it in Singapore. If it was not stolen, you can go to the ICA so they can issue you a new one. If it was stolen, you must file a police report or so you can present the Declaration Form NR 12. Under the law, those who lose their ICs must apply for a card replacement within 14 days.

When you apply, bring these:

  • A recent photo that is passport size
  • Your filled-out Declaration Form NR 12 if your wallet was stolen
  • Passport
  • Permits for entry and re-entry
  • Malaysian IC

There is a first-timer fee of $100, but losing it again costs $300.

Your EX-link Card Must be Replaced

You must go to the nearest concession card replacement office which is open every day from 10 am to 6 pm. You can also visit TranslitLink kiosks so you can get the replacement faster.

If you opt to apply for a new EZ-link card replacement, it will be mailed to where you are staying within five working days.

The cost for the replacement is $21.10, and the money that was lost in your old card will be sent refunded to your new card.

Monitor Your Accounts

Thieves are unable to buy anything with your card when your bank suspends your account, but you must not be relaxed about it. Always check your account, and make this a habit even if you do not think that someone tried to hack your account. Depending on the bank or credit card offers, you can receive a text message, an email, or notification that tells you about any activity in your account.

Aside from that, regularly check your statements to check that everything is correct. There are thieves who sell cards according to the area code. That means your credit card company is not going to suspect anything and will not warn you, but these extra costs can easily be recognized.

Go to Your Country’s Embassy

If there is a language barrier, it is best to go to the embassy. They can help you with the police report if your passport got lost with your wallet. The Embassy can help you get temporary travel documents.

Other than that, the embassy will help you call your emergency contacts. From here, they will tell you what you can do next. An embassy is a safe place for international travellers.

Change All Your Automatic Payments

When you already have a new bank account number, automatically update the bills you paid using your old card. You must also make sure that you will not have missed payments or surcharges. Make a list of automatic payments and which cards you used for them to avoid forgetting which cards you used.

Access Your Emergency Funds

If your area has a branch of your bank, you can access emergency cash transfer with just your ID. However, you must know that there are extra charges for this service and you must will out a few forms.

In case you have friends or acquaintances in Singapore, contact them to borrow cash. Otherwise, ask your family or close friend if they can help you. They can give you their credit card information and you can live on online expenses until you are settled.

Call the Transport Authority in Your Country

Your driver’s license has your home address, birth date, and full name making it easy for anyone to steal your identity. Your driver’s license might be a very important information piece in the process of authentication. The transport authority will monitor your old license for any suspicious activity.

Be Proactive

When you are proactive, losing your wallet is less shattering. You must take out the cards that you are not using every day such as medical cards and store cards. You should have a backup credit card left at home so that you will not have to suspend all your cards in case you lose your wallet. You will not have to use cash until your new card arrives. You must now copy all your cards and the documents you have in your wallet, and then lock them in a safe.

In addition, you can keep them to cloud storage. This way, you will have all the phone numbers and account numbers if you need to report your missing cards. You will not forget to close any of them, or you can also put them in a spreadsheet.

Before Leaving, Sign Up for a Multi-Currency Mobile Wallet

There are several mobile wallet applications you can sign up for which also come with a prepaid card. Before you travel to Singapore or anywhere overseas, you must top up your mobile wallet so you can spend anywhere in the world using different currencies with no fees. There is no need for you to worry about the exchange rate because they convert it to SGD in real-time with a lower exchange rate.

Call for More Help

Institutions that you already have a relationship with like financial services, insurance agencies, and even your HR department can help you. They can share some of the burdens when someone steals your identity. This benefit is hidden, which is why people do not realize they have it. They will be happy to make it easy for you to reach them if you encounter a problem. They can work for you or be with you, which gives you comfort when you are already dealing with a lot of calls.

Report that Your Social Security Number was Lost

If your social security is in your wallet, you should never put it there because you want to be more vigilant when it comes to this. Your social security administration will send you a new card, but you will have the same number. This means taking extra precautions so your identity cannot be stolen.

Things to Do When My Wallet Lost in Singapore

 

Do Not Put All Your Money and Cards in One Place

When you travel, you must not put everything in one place. Put your cash in different places next time, and you must put the least amount of cash in your wallet and do not put your cards there. Thieves normally target your wallet. Make sure to keep a stash in your hand-carry, but not all of it.

You can contact Lost and Found Rewards in Singapore if you lose your wallet.