A very expensive lesson about taking a taxi

I recently had the misfortune of leaving my wallet behind in a taxi. It was never found or returned. It%26#39;s my fault and I%26#39;ve learned my lesson. I%26#39;m passing on these tips hoping I can prevent others from making the same mistakes. Here%26#39;s what I%26#39;ve learned:

1. Carry in your wallet only what you need for that particular trip or day.

2. If possible, physically attach your wallet to your clothing via cord or chain or fanny pack or the like.

3. Before entering a taxi, make note of the name of the taxi company and the cab number. This information can be useful later for a variety of reasons.

4. Take inventory of your possessions immediately after exiting a taxi and inspect the taxi%26#39;s seating area before leaving.

5. Each taxi company has its own lost %26amp; found and you will need to contact each one individually about lost items (I got the sense they are overwhelmed daily with stuff left behind by passengers). It may take several days before lost items are turned in (if at all) by the driver. Keep in mind the driver may not know that you%26#39;ve left something behind as the next passenger may be the one who ';found'; your possession.

6. Know exactly what was in your wallet as you%26#39;ll need to report the loss to credit card companies, driver license departments, credit reporting agencies, etc. You%26#39;ll also need the details when filling out a police report. All this needs to be done in order to protect yourself from Identity Theft.

Losing a wallet is a vacation killer. Be careful out there.

A very expensive lesson about taking a taxi

Sorry to hear that, and great advice.

Also consider doing what I%26#39;ve done for years when travelling. I leave my wallet at home.

Drivers license and a credit card in one side pocket, atm card in the other. Health insurance info photocopies in my luggage. Done.

A very expensive lesson about taking a taxi

Great advice! Thanks for taking the time to share it.

I am female, so carry a purse. That, too, could get left behind if you have been shopping and have multiple packages to keep up with. I think this topic is extremely important and have nominated it for the Inside Pages. Hope you don%26#39;t mind.

An additional suggestion is to note the driver%26#39;s name. I know I can%26#39;t pronounce most of them, but I always comment to the driver about his name in some way...';How do you pronounce your name? I%26#39;m not familiar with that language...How long have you been driving taxis in LV, Mr. ____?'; Whatever comes to mind at the time. That way, he is, also, aware that I have noted his name.

I, also, remove any unneeded credit cards or other info from my wallet before leaving home.

Sorry for your mishap, but appreciate your taking time to share with the rest of us to hopefully prevent us from experiencing the same.

I am truly sorry for you losing your wallet. I had lost mine once when I just got out of a cab at the Reno airport and luckily a very nice girl found it and returned it to me.It was practically empty and it didn%26#39;t contain any credit cards.

I now use the '; fanny pack'; .I really think these are very tacky looking but I must admit they work and because I where shorts all the time when I am in Vegas, the good old fanny pack works for me.

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Another thing to be wary of- while flying out of McCarran on a business trip, my sister put her purse down on the conveyor going thru security. Purse went through, but sister was stalled at the ';people-checker'; by a man in front of her who set aff the alarm several times. By the time he was taken aside and she got through, purse was GONE off the end of the conveyor. By the time she made agents aware of the theft, the ';blocker'; was gone. Airport security had videotapes of the culprit who took it but would not let her see them, nor were they able to locate the thief (or didn%26#39;t try very hard). Luckily she was on her way home and not embarking on a vacation, but this is a possibility at any airport when they separate you from your belongings. When I get to security, I hesitate just long enuf before putting my bag down to make sure there is a clear path thru for me with nobody blocking, and make sure I am wearing no extra metal or jewelry or belt buckles that will delay me , so that I am through and waiting when my purse comes out.

I%26#39;m always surprised that people just rush out of a taxi without double checking. It takes less than a minute to get out of the cab, wait right there with the door open, and just do a quick check on yourself and in the cab.

Sorry to hear about your experience.

I have become a scatter brain, and am forever loosing my wallet. Once I was running late for a whale watch boat. Somehow in rushing to get out of the car I left my wallet sitting on the roof. The car was parked on the pier next to the boat. As the boat sailed out for a 10 hour cruise, I see my wallet sitting on the roof. And when we sailed back in, it was still sitting there.

Another time I was returning from a cruise, when I got home I realized it was gone. I was certain I left it on the plane. I called Delta to ask for help. The next morning they called to say they found it, not on the plane, but sitting on the sidewalk in front of the terminal at JFK.

The most recent time was in Vegas. I jumped out of the Dollar Rent A Car shuttle. I go into the terminal and realize I have no wallet. I flagged down the next shuttle. I tried speaking to the driver , but he asked me to wait as they were trying to track down a customer who lost his wallet.

All three times, cash and credit cards were intact.

Amazing, I must have one heck of a guardian angel.

Sorry to hear about your experience. Someone wrote about a ';blocker'; at airport security. This has happened at other airports, too. I don%26#39;t send my purse or valuables through until the person ahead of me clears with no beeping. I send through my shoes, jacket, etc. If I%26#39;m not travelling alone, one of us takes charge of valuable items and the other walks through first.

I make a photocopy of my credit cards(both sides) , license, passport, etc. before I go on a trip. I keep the paper separate from my wallet. I only had to use the paper once (in Madrid) when my wallet was stolen and it sure made notifying the credit card companies a lot easier. One thing also helped- I have my picture on my Visa card. This wouldn%26#39;t prevent someone from using it on the phone right away, but it does help prevent them from using it in person.

Replacing all the contents of a wallet can be a chore.

Thanks DD! sorry about your bad experience.

Poohbear, I had never thought of such a thing in the airport! but now I%26#39;ll be aware and tell hubby and we can watch for such things and one can keep an eye on the baskets.

seems the airport people weren%26#39;t helpful at all. a person should have the right to see the video of someone who stole from them!

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