Being robbed sucks
I'm sorry to bring everyone down with a post like this, but I want to warn everyone to make sure that what happened to me today doesn't happen to you. I guess I also just feel the need to tell my tale of woe.
I had my backpack, with my wallet in it, stolen today at the Big Campus Library. It seems that is was stolen right from the coatrack area in my office, although it might have been stolen from the ladies room. I don't think I'd be dumb enough to leave my bag in the bathroom, but I know I took it in there with me and I didn't notice it was gone until I was leaving work at the end of the day, so it's possible.
I've spent all evening cancelling my credit and ATM cards, filing police reports, and filing reports with my insurance company. Since my camera was in the bag, the total value of what was stolen was pretty high. And that's not counting the sentimental value, such as the fact that the wallet was a gift from a friend in Japan or that the camera had a roll of film in it with photos of my godmother, who I hadn't seen in eight years. There was also a library book (a mystery that I was in the middle of!) and my little box of handmade earrings.
My student ID is gone. My driver's license is gone. My bus pass is gone. I had to borrow $2 from my boss just to get home.
I've never been robbed before, and certainly never lost anything of such sentimental value. I've been crying almost straight through for the past three hours. DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU! There are bad, bad people on campus. Don't ever leave your bag ANYWHERE out of your sight, even if it's in your own office.
I don't think I did anything particularly careless today (unless I did leave my bag in the restroom, but I doubt I did), but apparently you have to be more careful than I was to be safe from thieves. SO BE CAREFUL!
6 comments:
Sorry, Kelly! That's terrible and you have every right to feel shitty. Hopefully something might turn up and/or at least nothing was charged to any of your accounts.
There were charges made to my credit card, but luckily my bank is very watchful. By the time I got home they'd already left me a voice mail message saying that the account had been frozen for suspicious activity.
The bank gave me good advice for anyone who's had their wallet stolen. If you ever have ANY kind of ID stolen, you could be a potential victim of identity theft on top of everything else. A clever identity thief could ruin your credit and cost you thousands of dollars by taking out new accounts in your name, redirecting your mail, etc.
So if your ID is stolen you need to contact the big credit monitoring companies: Equifax, Transunion, and Experian. They can put a fraud notice in your credit report, so anyone trying to open new accounts in your name will be asked to provide extra identifying information. These companies can also give you a copy of your credit report (you're entitled to one free copy per year, more than that and there's a fee) so you can check for suspicious activity and challenge any fraudulent claims that have already been made.
Kelly, I once had my wallet stolen from inside my purse, inside my desk, inside my classroom where I taught second grade at an Episcopal School. It was a horribly violated feeling, realizing I had been robbed, even though I was not physically harmed. I understand what you are going through---my wallet was from Venice, a souvenir of my Rotary Fellowship year in Europe, and could never be replaced. First you cry, then you get angry. Thanks for the reminder and the good advice. Here's hoping that the jerk gets caught.
I'm really sorry, Kelly! That is horrible. I once had a jacket stolen from a restaurant, with my keys in the pocket--keys to my car, apartment, etc. and the keys to the store where I worked. I was so mad and it took so long to get all of the keys remade or changed...I feel your pain!
Luckily my apartment keys were on my belt loop keychain holder, so those weren't stolen. I guess maybe I should start keeping my ID and bus pass in one of those keychain holder things too.
I'm still holding out hope that my bag will be dumped somewhere with some of my personal items still inside. Even just getting the library book back would save me the $80 replacement fee.
I didn't realize how terrible it was to have your wallet stolen before. Everyone, please keep your belongings safe, where ever you are.
Wow, Kelly, I am so sorry to hear that!
Not to add to robbery fears, and this may seem obvious, but lock your house everytime you leave--my roommates can't seem to remember that one, and I had stuff stolen last September.
I hope your stuff turns up, Kelly.
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