What to do if Your Property is Stolen
Purse, wallet, or identifying information:
File a report with the police immediately. Get a copy in case your bank, credit card company or insurance company needs proof of the crime.
Cancel each credit and charge card. Get new cards with account numbers. Call the fraud departments of the major credit reporting agencies: Equifax 800-525-6285; Experian 888-397-3742; TransUnion 800-680-7289; Ask them to put a “fraud alert” on your account and add a “victim’s statement” to your file requesting that creditors contact you before opening new accounts in your name.
Ask the credit bureaus for copies of your credit reports. Review your reports carefully to make sure no additional fraudulent accounts have been opened in your name or unauthorized changes made to your existing accounts. In a few months, order new copies of your reports to verify your corrections and changes, and to make sure no new fraudulent activity has occurred.
If your wallet or purse contained bank account information, report the loss to your bank, including account numbers, ATM cards or checks. Cancel checking and savings accounts and open new ones. Stop payments on all outstanding checks. Get a new ATM card, account number and Personal Identification Number (PIN) or password.
Report your missing driver’s license to the department of motor vehicles. If your state uses your Social Security number as your driver’s license number, ask to substitute another number.
Change the locks on your home and car if your keys were taken. Don't give an identity thief access to even more personal property and information.
If your wallet, purse, credit cards or other identifying information is stolen, you are vulnerable to being victimized again by identity thieves. Identity thieves can use information found in your wallet or purse (credit cards, checks, your Social Security card, even health insurance cards) to establish new accounts in your name. The damage inflicted by identity thieves can take years to correct.
Cell phone or other electronic device:
If you find that your cell phone is lost or stolen while you are on the Coral Gables campus, you must have the following information before a police report can be filed:
- The name of your cellular service provider.
- The Electronic Serial Number (ESN) of your cellular phone or electronic device.
- The make and model of your cellular phone or electronic device.
Without this information an officer will not be allowed to write a report for you. Once you have gathered all of this information, call the UM Police Department at 305-284-6666 to file a report. If you are on campus, an officer will be sent to your location. If you are off campus, you will be directed to the UM Police Department offices.
Prevention
Some people steal. Most thieves only steal when it is easy, and stealing unattended property is very easy.
Never leave property unattended or unsecured. Not even for a second! Do not leave rooms and offices unlocked when you are not there. If you believe that locking a door or carrying a backpack with you is too inconvenient, think about what it will take to replace all of the lost items.
Use lockers to store property and lock them.
Theft of unattended or unsecured property accounts for over half of all crime on the Coral Gables Campus. By working together, the community and the UM Police Department could reduce crime on campus by over fifty percent.
