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How to stop thieves using your cash cards when you lose your wallet

Oona McGee Nov 9, 2020
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Simple hack from a former bank clerk in Japan.

Japan has a reputation for being one of the safest places on the planet, where you can leave your belongings unattended and lost wallets are regularly handed in without a single yen missing.

That’s not to say theft doesn’t ever occur, however, as we saw recently when a man was held down by passengers after stealing another man’s wallet on the train, so it doesn’t hurt to stay alert and prepared, even in a country as reputedly safe as Japan.

One person who’s definitely prepared is Twitter user @012_shiro, who picked up a handy tip from a former bank clerk on how to keep the cash cards in your wallet safe in the event of a theft, and after sharing the information with others online it quickly went viral.

https://twitter.com/012_shiro/status/1317337380563476480

The tweet above reads:

“To avoid putting my savings at risk, I’ve put six sheets of paper with random four-digit numbers on them in my wallet. Because, in a worst case scenario, if I lose my wallet and someone with bad intentions picks it up, my cash card can’t be used and will have to be re-issued if the wrong PIN is input multiple times. (From a former bank clerk).”

@012_shiro followed up by saying cash card rules differ depending on the financial institution, but the general rule is that you can enter an incorrect PIN up to three times a day, and if six mistakes are made in total, the card can’t be used.

Of course, @012_shiro says you should call your bank immediately to put a hold on your cards if you do find you’ve lost your wallet, but until that call is made, this simple tip can help to safeguard your savings and give you some peace-of-mind in a worst-case scenario.

A lot of people online agreed with this sentiment and vowed to use the system themselves, just in case.

“I love this, it’s like installing a self-defence trap inside your wallet!”
“Wow. I learned something today!”
“Doing this right away!”
“I often write random numbers on the back of the card. Now I might add a piece of paper too just to confuse them even more!”
“Thank you – this is a great life hack!”

Staying a step ahead of thieves is often the best way to outwit them, so no matter where you are in the world, it doesn’t hurt to use an anti-theft measure like this to help safeguard your money.

After all, traps like these have been known to work — just ask this wily 78-year-old Japanese woman, who set a trap for a thief and got him arrested after he took thousands of yen in toy money from her safe.

Source: Twitter/@012_shiro via Jin
Featured image: Gahag
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