logo
Login Subscribe
ePaper
google_play
app_store
  • News
    • Obituaries
    • Lifestyle
  • Sports
  • E-edition
  • Calendar
  • Archives
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Advertisers
    • Form Submission
    • About Us
    • News
      • Obituaries
      • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    • E-edition
    • Calendar
    • Archives
    • Contact
      • Contact Us
      • Advertisers
      • Form Submission
      • About Us
Things you shouldn’t keep in your wallet
Commentary
January 28, 2025
Things you shouldn’t keep in your wallet
By JANIS RISLEY FCS/4-H SEQ. CO. EXT. ED.

Here are 15 things you should remove from your wallet and store in a safe place, depending on how often you need to access them:

1. Social Security card. You do not need it for daily use, and criminals could use it to open lines of credit in your name or sell it to another criminal.

2. Multiple credit cards and credit card receipts. Choose one credit card and one debit card you wish to use the most and leave the others at home. Multiple credit cards are a gold mine for criminals. They can easily charge items online or send runners to different stores.

3. Checkbook, or even one blank check. The days when you might need one for a purchase are mostly in the past.

4. Work ID card. This will have your name and other identifying information that could be used for a targeted phishing (spear-phishing) campaign to perpetrate a scam within your workplace.

5. Passport or passport card. These are gold to criminals. As the U.S. State Department notes, “The U.S. passport is considered to be the most valuable identity document in the world. It can be used to provide proof of U.S. citizenship and allows its bearer access to virtually every country in the world.”

6. List of your passwords. If your passwords are stolen, the criminal has the keys to your accounts.

7. Gift card not fully redeemed. There’s no stopping a thief from using those funds, which are essentially like cash.

8. Birth certificate. This essential piece of paper contains enough information for a criminal to create fake accounts in your name, and access your own accounts. It’s considered a “breeder” document, which means it can be used to obtain other sensitive documents and information related to you.

9. Library card. It sounds benign, but a criminal can always check out lots of books and sell them for a buck or two apiece.

10. House key. Thieves could find your address from the contents of a stolen wallet.

11. Legal paperwork. Don’t carry any legal documents in your wallet or purse that you don’t need that day. It sounds obvious, “We’ve had reports on the Helpline where people had their wallets or purses stolen and their divorce documents were included.” That means the thief has your sensitive financial data, children’s birthdates and other personal information.

12. Checks made out to you. You don’t just want to keep your own checks at home. If criminals get their hands on a check you’ve received, they can forge your signature and cash it. Consider depositing your check using your bank’s smartphone app.

13. Your PIN. It’s bad enough to lose your credit card: You don’t want to give them the key to your account, says Frank McKenna, chief fraud strategist at the fraud detection company Point Predictive. “You would be surprised at how many times people told me they wrote their PINs on the back of the credit cards so they would not forget them.”

14. Your cryptocurrency seed phrase or recovery phrase. As with passwords or PINs, some people might keep the seed phrase (a sequence of 12 or 24 words that a crypto investor needs to access or recover cryptocurrency on blockchains or crypto wallets) in their actual wallets, notes McKenna. Criminals can use it to wipe out your wealth.

15. Receipts. Don’t carry around those store and restaurant receipts, says Steve Weisman, an attorney and fraud authority who reports on scams for his website, scamicide.com. “Even though your full credit card number won’t be shown on the receipt, an industrious identity thief can use the last five digits to construct legitimateappearing emails that seem to come from your credit card company or a company that you do business with,” he says. Their goal? To get you to provide them with the full number.

Only carry your Medicare card when you must To help protect your identity, your Medicare card no longer carries your Social Security number. But your Medicare number — unique to you — should be closely guarded and never shared with anyone who contacts you out of the blue by phone, email or text or in person. Only carry your Medicare card when you are headed to an appointment that might require it. Your Medicare number should also be closely guarded from emails and phone calls (in reference to AARP news).

Roland Police nab Arkansas armed robbery suspect
Main, news
Roland Police nab Arkansas armed robbery suspect
After he’s seen leaving Cherokee Casino
By AMIE CATO-REMER EDITOR 
June 17, 2025
A man wanted in connection with an armed robbery and domestic battery in Fort Smith, Ark. is now in custody after being apprehended last week across the state line in Oklahoma. Kenneth M. Byrd, 28, of...
Main
High-speed motorcycle chase ends in crash, arrest
By AMIE CATO-REMER EDITOR 
June 17, 2025
A late-night high-speed motorcycle chase spanning multiple counties ended in a crash and arrest just south of Roland, according to the Sequoyah County Sheriff ’s Office. Steven Denton, 34, is facing a...
Main, news
School board approves hires, insurance group resolution
Speir appointed to board seat 2
By AMIE CATO-REMER EDITOR 
June 17, 2025
The Roland Board of Education gathered for its regular monthly meeting on June 9, where the board voted on staffing, school policy and financial matters heading into the 2025–26 academic year. Among t...
Main, news
Gans awardee of Civil Rights Trail Grant Program
June 17, 2025
The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) proudly announces that 28 organizations and communities have been awarded a grant through the Civil Rights Trail Grant Program. This total amount awarded of just ...
news
Gans Public School Honor Roll
June 17, 2025
Gans Public School recently released the honor roll for the full 2024-25 school year. Superintendent’s Honor Roll First Grade: Tyler Huskey, Ryker Kilgore, Julia Madden, Kai Montgomery, Daedric Reeder...
Cunningham takes second in Strawberry Queen Pageant
news
Cunningham takes second in Strawberry Queen Pageant
By JACIE EUBANKS SPECIAL TO THE REGISTER 
June 17, 2025
Savannah Cunningham, at only 18-yearsold, has already attained the crowning achievement of becoming the second runner-up for the Strawberry Queen Pageant during the 78th annual Strawberry Festival in ...
ePaper
google_play
app_store
Editor Picks
news
Free Math Camp this summer for students
June 17, 2025
Come to Mr. Camacho’s free Math Camp at Sallisaw’s Carl Albert! He will be providing help over the summer, July 28-31, with the math section of the ACT and Accuplacer tests with grades 7th-12th being ...
County sales tax income up from last year
news
County sales tax income up from last year
June 17, 2025
The Oklahoma Tax Commission recently released city sales tax collection figures that primarily represents local tax receipts from April business. The monies they reported this period represent sales f...
news
Selection for federal initiative ‘is a step forward’ for hospital
June 17, 2025
Northeastern Health System Sequoyah (NHSS) has been selected to participate in the CMS Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Program effective May 1, a federal initiative aimed at supporting healthca...
news
OMMA implements new emergency rules, effective immediately
June 17, 2025
OMMA (Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Association) has promulgated emergency rules to implement House Bill 2807 from the 2025 legislative session. Permanent rules will go into place in 2026. Pre-packaging ...
news
Muldrow Public Library June calendar of events
June 17, 2025
The Muldrow Public Library will host the following events during the month of June: June 18 - Watch for Wacky Wednesday updates; Painting with Linda, 1 p.m. June 19 - Closed for Juneteenth. June 20 - ...
Facebook
Twitter
Tweets
Twitter
Tweets

EASTERN TIMES-REGISTER
603 W. Schley
Vian, OK
74962

(918) 427-3636

This site complies with ADA requirements

© 2023 Eastern Times-Register

  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility Policy