If your house keys have been stolen it’s a good idea to get your locks changed, especially if the thief knows where you live. While changing your locks can be expensive, it will stop a criminal getting easy access to your property and can give you peace of mind. You could also contact your insurance company, as they may be able to help you with the costs of changing the locks.
Losing your car keys means you risk having your car stolen. Cars often have programmed codes that match with the key, card or fob you use to unlock and start the vehicle. Contact your insurance company and arrange for the car to be taken to a garage, where they can re-programme any spare key or card you have to prevent the car being stolen. The garage may also give you a replacement key, card or fob. Check your insurance policy, as your insurers may help you with the cost of this work.
If your driving licence is stolen, you should apply for a replacement. You can apply for a replacement online, contact the DVLA, or use form D1 which you can get from most Post Offices.
Tell your bank as soon as possible if your cards are stolen. Most card companies and all major banks have a 24-hour lost/stolen card service.
If you think someone has got your bank account or credit card details online, inform your bank or finance company as soon as possible.
When you speak to your bank, note down the name of the person you speak to and the time of your call. This can help if you make a claim to reimburse any money that may be spent with your stolen cards.
Important advice
Do not give your PIN (your personal identification number for credit and debit cards) to anyone, including family members or friends, as this can invalidate any claim on the bank or credit card company if your cards are lost or stolen.
Do not write down your PIN or carry the number around in the same bag, wallet or purse as your credit card.
Banks, credit card and finance companies or the police will never ask you for your PIN. Do not give your PIN to anyone either over the telephone or the internet.
Fraudsters use a number of scams to try to find out your PIN, including calling you pretending to be your bank, credit card company or even the police to trick you into believing your credit card details have been stolen. They might try to persuade you to supply your PIN and give your cards to a courier.
Banks, credit card companies or the police will never ask you for your PIN and will never use couriers to collect your cards.
If this happens, don’t give your PIN; ask the caller for their phone number and say you’ll call them back. You should then contact the police using a different phone, as some fraudsters can keep the line open at their end to steal your card details.
Notify the bank, building society or Post Office if your savings book or cheque book is taken. All major banks operate a lost card service. Remember it’s important to keep bank cards separate from your cheque book.
If you’ve lost receipts for things that are being cleaned or repaired, get in touch with the shop or services concerned and arrange to collect your things as soon as you can.
Inform both the police and the office that issued your passport that it has been stolen as soon as possible. You can cancel stolen passports and apply for a new one online through the Gov.uk website.
Tell your embassy or consulate your passport has been stolen to arrange getting a replacement.
You can be charged for books or other items taken out in your name and not returned. Speak to the library and let them know your card has been stolen.
Let your school or college know your student ID has been taken so they can replace it.
Notify the company who issued the travel pass/ticket. You can normally get replacement tickets from the station you bought it from or the issuing company.
Let your network provider know if your mobile phone has been stolen. They’ll be able to block the phone for you to stop anyone else from using it.
If you have mobile phone insurance, you should be able to claim a new phone. If your home contents are insured, you may be covered for the loss of items stolen when away from home. Check your policy and contact your insurance provider.
Track my device
Devices often have a tracking application to help locate and recover them if stolen. It’s worth activating this option on your device.
Let the police know if your handset has a tracking application activated – but always leave it to the police to recover the phone. You should never try to find the phone or tablet yourself as this could result in confrontation with the thief and put you in personal danger.