Robbed!! What do you do next?

Marlene -

One thing people tend to forget about is that your local Embassy may able to assist in certain situations. You may want to check with the Canadian Embassy website for the country or countries you are visiting. Also - copies of passports and visas should be kept elsewhere. I actually leave a copy of my passport in every bag I travel with. It has helped with lost bags as well.

Western Union is a worldwide system now and people at home can easily help with money, credit card companies etc.

Here is an example of information from the US Embassy in Paris regarding emergencies such as this:

http://www.amb-usa.fr/consul/acs/guide/lostfound.pdf

I agree with the others - be prepared - be smart - and not over burden yourself with this concern. By being prepared allows you to deal with the situation and move on. Besides sometimes the greatest drama of a visit to a new country can be how to flush the toilet.

Marlene, one thing I've done is to set up a hotmail account for the trip and send myself at email at that account with info I'd need. DON'T put credit card numbers in the email because someone might break into your account or be recording what you're typing at a internet cafe computer, but do put the numbers of the credit card companies so you can call them. I also have my itinerary so that even if I was left with literally just the clothes I was wearing I could find out where else I was travelling, when my return flight is and the flight number, etc.

I also photocopy my passport and write down my credit card numbers, and leave this with a relative back at home. So with a few phone calls I could start to get things back on track.

And like people have said, wear a moneybelt to minimize the odds of losing everything.

Marlene,

The possibility of being robbed is the reason Rick strongly and frequently advises his readers to wear a Money Belt. Hopefully that covers the majority of "risk" situations. Using a Money Belt is reasonable protection for small amounts of cash, credit cards, Passport and plane tickets.

I also feel that it's good policy to "distribute" one's travel funds in two or more locations. That way if you lose part of your travel resources, there's a "backup" available with a second credit card or ATM card and some cash. Hopefully that will prevent the unlucky traveller from having a "heart attack".

I place special emphasis on protecting my Passport, which is never out of my sight for very long.

Happy travels!

This is something I think people spend too much time worrying about. If you have taken precautions, odds are that you have a credit card or some money in your money belt. Having something stolen is mostly an inconvenience.

Additionally, the credit card companies offer emergency services and can assist you.

I had my wallet stolen from my purse coming out of a tube station in London. The transit police in the station had the numbers for all the card companies and I called and took care of that right from their office. They cancelled the card and asked if I needed emergency service. I lived there so I did not request emergency service and I just went home. My card was stolen on a Saturday and I had a new one on Monday (and that was without emergency services). If I had been a tourist, I would have lost less because I would have had a credit card in my money belt.

Well we probably weren't "robbed" but somehow between LGW and Victoria Station one of the Chaperones on my Girl Scout trip lost $15,000 in Traveler's Checks and some credit cards..... (I think she did not fasten the money belt after cashing some travelers checks)

So... Step 1. Call Amex and the credit card companies to cancel everything.

Step 2. Police Report

Step 3 Spend several hours at Amex getting new Travelers Check.

Now, having lost credit cards this is where having a good company comes in. I have had cards overnighted to me. Most Euopean hotels don't want payment until you check out so you have the cards overnighted and deal with it then.

Marlene, use a money belt and stop fretting about this. One year a friend and I were traveling in London over the Christmas Holiday. She had her wallet stolen the day before we were to return to the States. We immediately called the US Embassy and reported the problem. Her Passport was in her wallet. We called the local police station (they were embarassed and kept apologizing for the incident),
We called American Express where she had all her credit cards listed and canceled them. Within 2 hours the man from the Embassy called her at the hotel (remember it was a Boxing Day and the Embassy was virtually closed) They spoke, he gave her his cell number. Told her to have the head of Security at Heathrow call him. The head of security at Heathrow called the man from the US Embassy, she got clearance to board without a passport and home we flew. Wasn't stressful as you would think and she swore she was going to marry the man from the US Embassy. You will find MANY good samaritans!

Kent,

Lets look on the bright side... At least it was traveler's checks.

(I had REALLY tried to convince the "professionals" that we needed to go with someething OTHER then Traverler's Checks. When the professional got to spend a day of her trip at the Amex office I think she saw my point of view)

Luckily for the Girl Scouts I have a very high credit limit and just floated all of this for a while. (Don't even ask about what happened on getting thier credit card replaced, lets just say it never really happened!)

Once I was a teenager my camera was stolen in Paris. The French police seems pretty bored with filling in the forms for my claims. But this is very necessary. You need a proof of a formal local claim for your own local insurance back home. Several months and letters later I got back some money at last. Point is: Without the actual local police claim documents I wouldn't have gotten back a singly penny!

I prefer the necklace/ pouch version of the money belt as I like to tuck my shirts in. I wear it under my shirt. I keep one credit card or atm card with my suitcase back at the hotel. Also, I don't carry much cash. I use my visa when possible. When not possible, European ATM's work with the majority of US debit cards as long as it draws off a checking account and not a savings account. If it says international above it, english instructions are offered. ATM machine's from the host nation offer a better exchange rate than pre-purchasing euros from a US bank. I avoid the foreign currency booths. They are such a rip-off. Leave your credit card numbers with the bank emergency phone number with a trusted family member in the states just in case. If you are robbed by force you can wire money from your bank to help you out. I generally try to pay for my hotel upon arrival if allowed. I pay any incidentals prior to my departure. This way I don't have to worry about the card not working or loss

First of all, Marlene, it appears you are asking what to do if this terrible thing happens to you. Accordingly it is not helpful to be told, "Don't worry, wear a money belt, blah blah" because nobody expects to be robbed. Even VERY careful travelers. I know this for a fact. Jet-lagged, tired, dealing with the kids, it takes just a few seconds lack of concentration for a bad thing to happen. So I will give you some advice you can use. First, along with having copies of everything, make sure you have another credit card with you in a different place or preferably with your travel partner. If you have reserved a rental car with a credit card, they will want that card to complete the rental. Overnighting a card from your CC company won't help if you are leaving the next day. Also note that some hotels will confirm your CC a few days before you arrive. Unless you've apprised them of the new situation, they will get the message that the CC is no longer valid and they (continued..)

..will cancel your reservation. Oh, they'll have sent you an email about it which you couldn't access. In any event, it adds to the stress. So make sure that anything you've reserved with the stolen card is noted and contact those carrying the reservations and give them the new card number. Also, and this pertains to your debit card (you're also carrying one of those, right?) make sure before you go that you find out from your bank what their partner banks are in the countries you wish to visit. The partner banks will allow you to withdraw a large amount of cash per day from the ATM instead of a small amount. Being able to get your mitts on a large amount of cash can be crucial to get you through the next few days until that Fedex package from your CC company finds you in the little town you've traveled to since your card was stolen.

Also, and this is crucial..make sure you have a cell phone that works overseas without a hassle. Mine is a T-Mobile, and needed to be (continued..

..activated by T-Mobile before I left the US. It's free, but it's not done automatically, you have to ask them to activate this feature. You MUST be able to communicate directly with your banks and others if you are dealing with this crisis and have a chance of continuing your vacation relatively smoothly.

I apologize for my verbosity but these things had to be said. I sincerely hope you don't need this advice.

First of all, you have a car greater chance of losing things than you do of having them stolen. Secondly, the odds of you being robbed of EVERYTHING are virtually non-existent, so don't waste time worrying about that. The best advice in both situations is to carry two of everything, and split them up; debit cards, credit cards, cash, etc, so that there's always a backup available. If you're planning to make heavy use of cash and ATMs, leave two cheques with a trusted person at home, written each to the other bank account....if one debit card is lost, a quick phone call will see the cheque from the lost account deposited to the still-active account. Scan your passport and send a copy to a hotmail or similar e-mail account so it can be accessed everywhere. And, as others have mentioned, send credit card and bank phone numbers to your hotmail account for easy reference. Take a list of Canadian embassy and consulate phone numbers...(cont)

...they will be more than willing to help you, even with cash advances for expenses, and remember that British and Australian diplomatic offices will help you in a pinch. And, as Andreas notes, report any such theft or loss to the local police. They may not be too interested, much as Winnipeg police won't be too interested in a tourist losing a camera there, but it's necessary for any insurance paperwork. Common sense should rule your preparations, just as they would for a trip to Toronto, Vancouver, or Denver.

The idea of getting $400-500 from an ATM every few days is a good idea, and one that I'll use on my upcoming trip. However, some people are just not comfortable carrying that much cash. I don't mind as long as it's secured away. But I'm guessing that when a traveller who is nervous about it sees an unsavory character on the street, a look of panic, "oh no, I've got too much money on me" will cross their face. That may be one way pickpockets/muggers separate them from the herd. So don't keep touching your hidden money to check on it, and when walking with companions, don't bunch up together like you're nervous Nellies. It makes you a smaller target.

It happened to me in the airport on my way home from Paris the very first time I left the country. Fortunately, my money, and credit cards were still in my money belt, but my passport and remaining Francs (probably dates the trip) were in my pocket. When I tried to board and realized what was happening I started to cry (not my proudest moment). This was pre-9/11 and the gate person was a sweet older gentleman who patted me on the back, looked at the xerox of my passport that I got out of my carry-on and told me when I got home to wait for the end of the customs line and say I lost my passport on the plane. That same trip my friend's credit card was held by an ATM machine, and VISA got her another one two days later at a bank in London. I guess we were just lucky, but we learned our lesson and are VERY careful now.

This happened to me in London on my first day. The ff. are my suggestions based on my experience:
1. Don;t count on the Amer. Embassy..I found them very unhelpful and although I went there 3 times and had to bring someone to vouch that I was whom I said
(all ID gone) and I could tell them when my first passort was issued, etc. etc., they maintained that Washington had NO RECORD of me!!!!!!!!!!!!! They did finally issue me a letter on which I traveled in ieu of a passport but as I saiad, I had to go to the Embassy 3 times which really iimpacts on your travel time.
2. ALWAYS have copies of your passport anad credit cards, both sides in your luggage, with your traveling copanion, locked in t he hotel safe, etc.
Take more than one copy. And leavae one copy at home with family or trusted friend. This will save you a lot of trouble. I forgot mine!!!
3. Although my credit card (I only had one) was replaced within 24 hrs. there were some restictions on it. (contd)

The new credit card had a fairly low limit on it and had to be manually swiped...let me tell you a lot of retailers, etc. have a fit about this!!!
4. What saved me were 2 things: I had brought a fair amt. of US dollars which were in the hotel safe.
and I was traveling with a friend who allowed me to put some things on her credit card when I ran into problems with my replacement one.
5. NEVER NEVER put all your stuff..[passport, credit cards, cash, etc.) in one wallet. I did this and lost all including my US Driver's License. divide things up and decide what could go into hotel safe if one is available. I really didn't need the driver's license on me and could have used that for ID had it not been stolen.
6. USE A MONEY BELT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7. In my case, I lost everything because I took it out to make a phone call so do be careful when taking
money, passport out.
8. I have been told by others that AMEX is terrifc if you suffer a loss. Master Card was not! The Embassy was not!