If you lose your wallet, you're in despair! Here's what you should do right away

Although cashless transactions are becoming more and more common every year, there are still many people who carry wallets.

Most people keep the things they need in their wallets, such as cash, cards, valuables, and receipts.

Some of you may have had the experience of losing your wallet.

Sometimes you can find it right away, but other times it never comes out and you never get it back.

Be careful not to put anything that could identify you with personal information, or cash, cash cards, credit cards, etc. in your wallet, as they may be misused by the person who finds them.

This time, we will introduce what to do if you lose your wallet, the probability of it being returned, and whether we recommend using the lost item disclosure system.

Many people realize that they have lost their wallet, but because they are so far away from home, they are unable to figure out where it is.

You might be able to find it if you remember where you were, but once you realize you've dropped it, it can be pretty stressful!

If it is picked up by a bad person, there is a risk that it will never be found.

If the criminal is clever, he may not steal all the cash in a wallet, but may just take out a small amount and throw it on the ground.

Even if you regret it, the chances of getting your wallet back are slim, so it's important to take the following actions immediately to increase the chances of it being found.

If you lose your wallet, it is best to immediately go and file a lost item report with the police before going to look for it in the place where you may have dropped it.

The reason why you have to go to the police is that if you file a lost item report, the police will be able to contact the owner once the wallet is turned in to the police station or police box.

When you report a lost item, you will be issued an "acceptance number," so you must keep track of it.

You will often be asked for the receipt number in various places, so be sure to submit a lost property report properly.

Also, depending on the prefecture, you may be able to complete the procedures indirectly over the phone or internet without having to go to the police in person, so it's good to know if you're at work or have other plans and can't go to the police.

In order to carefully return a wallet that has been handed over to the police by a third party to its owner, thorough identity verification will be required, so when you go to the police it is essential to bring something to prove your identity, address, and other personal information.

Many people carry not only cash but also credit cards in their wallets.

If your credit card is stolen, it will be misused and used for online shopping, and you will later receive bills in your name.

To prevent such a situation from happening, if you lose your wallet, immediately contact your credit card company and have them block your card as soon as possible.

In that case, we recommend that you check whether the card can be reissued, whether you can get a new credit card, and whether you can transfer your points.

Also, if you cancel your credit card, any services or contracts that have been deducted from your credit card will stop, which can put you in a very difficult situation if you have something that needs to be paid immediately.

It is important to think this through carefully before canceling your credit card.

Just like with credit cards, if you lose your cash card, you should immediately contact the card company or bank you have a contract with and have the card blocked.

If your cash card is used fraudulently, the Depositor Protection Act may apply and you may be able to receive compensation for losses even if money is withdrawn from your account.

It is important to remember to check, as taking proper action before your account is misused can minimize the damage.

Generally, even if you lose your cash card and have it reissued, your account number will not change, so in most cases no special procedures are required even if you have essential bills debited from your account.

Many people think that since credit cards and cash cards have PIN numbers, they are less likely to be used fraudulently.

However, this can be dangerous as someone with IT skills could easily bypass the security by guessing the PIN number from the wallet owner's driver's license or personal information, and then withdraw money or use it for online shopping.

Be careful, as some people use their birthday or other numbers that are easy for others to guess as their PIN number.

If you lose your wallet, it is important to contact the police and have your credit cards and cash cards blocked, but it is also a good idea to know that another option is to use the "lost property disclosure system."

The Metropolitan Police Department's Lost and Found Publication System allows you to search for lost items that have been reported to the police on your computer.

Each prefectural police department has built its own information management system for each police headquarters, but they are not yet connected with police forces across the country, so if you go to the nearest police station, you can only search for lost items that have been reported to the nearby police station.

It has been reported that around March 2023, the system will be linked to police stations across the country that have introduced lost property disclosure systems in some areas, so it is said that in the near future it will be possible to search for lost items turned in to police in all prefectures across the country via computer.

However, the basic premise is that the owner of the lost item has properly filed a lost property report with the police, so you must take the minimum necessary steps.

For those with a wide range of movement, the ability to have lost property searched for by police departments across the country may increase the chances of finding your wallet.

As you can see, there are various ways to deal with losing your wallet, so it's important to minimize the damage before you end up regretting it after wasting time searching for it yourself.

In Japan, if you lose your wallet, you are much more likely to find it than if you lost it abroad.

There are not many countries with as good public safety as Japan, and because the standard of living is high, there are fewer people who steal or misuse other people's things compared to other countries.

However, there will always be a certain number of people who will do bad things, so it is important to have a sense of crisis management so that you don't drop or lose your wallet.

In Japan, the probability of finding a lost wallet is said to be around 60%, meaning that more than half of people will get their wallet back.

If someone intentionally steals your wallet, it is unlikely that you will get it back in your hands in the same condition as it was before, but if you simply drop it, there is a fairly good chance that it will be returned.

In the worst case scenario, if your cards or cash have been stolen, it can be difficult to identify the culprit, so many people end up just putting up with it.

If you lose your wallet in Japan, there is a good chance that more than half of it will be returned to you, but some thieves will remove only a small amount of cash so that the owner does not realize that their wallet has been stolen when it is returned to them.

If only a small amount of cash has been removed, it is difficult for the owner to notice that the cash is missing, so they probably won't think that someone else is stealing their money.

When you realize that you've dropped your wallet, you tend to become pessimistic and think, "If only I'd put it in my bag properly," or "If only I'd carried a coin purse with me when I go out."

However, there is often no point in regretting it, so if you can't find your wallet, one way to change your mood would be to take the plunge and buy a new wallet.

When people lose their wallet, they often panic and try to find it by searching all the places they have been.

However, if your phone is picked up by a bad person, they may remove your credit cards, cash cards, and other cards and use them for online shopping or to withdraw cash, causing damage to you.

First of all, before searching for it yourself, it is important to take measures such as "filing a lost property report to the police, using the found property disclosure system, and contacting your credit card or cash card company to put a stop to the theft" to minimize the damage.