On Sunday 25 Nov I dropped my wallet in the commissary parking lot at Schofield Barracks. This is an Army base where the majority of the occupants presumably embrace a higher ethical standard than the typical Wal-Mart parking lot or some parts of Kalihi.
It was also 8:30 AM, not a very busy time of day. I had the wallet in my lap as we parked the car, I was juggling the usual handful of stuff as we got out, and I didn't notice I'd dropped it until we were in the store. I promptly turned around and retraced my steps but it was gone. It was probably on the ground for less than 60 seconds.
I didn't even remember dropping it. I checked all my pockets and all of the car's nooks & crannies. I checked around the adjacent cars. The three of us searched the store's trash cans and planters. (Now I know why I carry work gloves in the car.) I left my phone number with the head cashier and a couple of the baggers. People were generally [-]wondering if I was losing my marbles[/-] sympathetic but no one had seen anything.
My spouse remembered a couple behind us. She suspected that they'd seem me drop the wallet so she found them in the store and told them that her stupid husband had lost his wallet. She said we were notifying the police, she'd seen them enter the store behind us and would they mind helping with the investigation, if they'd seen anything could they please tell the head cashier, what a misfortune as the holidays approached, the money wasn't important but the license & military ID would be a huge hassle to replace, woe was me, etc. The woman said that they hadn't seen anything and was, well, sympathetic. The man was less responsive but spouse thought he had bad body language.
When we got home I pulled out my scan of the wallet's contents and made the usual calls. The credit-card companies said that no one had started a shopping spree but I went through the whole list anyway-- ATM card, two credit cards, two blank checks, our TRICARE cards, and a fraud alert with all three credit-reporting agencies. (The military helpfully puts our Social Security numbers on our IDs.) I also reported my ID to Schofield security in case it showed up in a terrorist incident. I even carried a spare house key so I re-keyed the lock.
Monday morning was fun. My spouse drove me to the license bureau (with my passport) for a replacement license, and I was petrified to let them see me use my reading glasses for fear that I'd have to go through the full license-exam process. Once I was street-legal we drove to the local Personnel Support Detachment and spent an hour waiting for a new military ID. Everything else is "in the mail"-- 11 days later I have one replacement credit card (Fidelity, whose FIA Card Services staff was outstanding) and new TRICARE cards. I'm still waiting on NFCU's ATM card and USAA's credit card.
Yesterday, 5 Dec, 10 days after I dropped it, my wallet was put in a yellow padded 6"x9" mailer and sent from a Honolulu ZIP code. It came in the mail today. No return address, of course, but they didn't have any trouble figuring out our address from my driver's license. The handwriting is neat & clean but I'm unable to decide if it's male or female.
No note or explanation. The cash is gone. Everything else is there-- military ID, credit cards, ATM card, blank checks, house key, and even the Home Depot gift card. As near as I can tell everything was in its original slots & places, although it could've been handled. I doubt I could interest the police in fingerprints or DNA electrophoresis of the saliva on the stamps...
I can't imagine why someone would return the wallet-- unless spouse made them feel guilty when she confronted them? And waiting 10 days was a nice touch-- just enough time for me to finish the replacement actions. I'd think that a professional would've thrown everything away after taking the cash, and a real expert would be auctioning the contents to identity-theft websites-- or at least selling the Home Depot card on Craigslist.
It could've been mailed by a Good Samaritan who wanted to remain anonymous (or a repentant amateur crook) but I've still filed the fraud alerts with the credit-reporting agencies.
Or maybe there's something else going on, and that's why I'm posting this. Anyone had this happen recently? Is there some sort of scam that involves returning a lost wallet? Is this an advanced form of identity theft? Anything else I'm missing?
It was also 8:30 AM, not a very busy time of day. I had the wallet in my lap as we parked the car, I was juggling the usual handful of stuff as we got out, and I didn't notice I'd dropped it until we were in the store. I promptly turned around and retraced my steps but it was gone. It was probably on the ground for less than 60 seconds.
I didn't even remember dropping it. I checked all my pockets and all of the car's nooks & crannies. I checked around the adjacent cars. The three of us searched the store's trash cans and planters. (Now I know why I carry work gloves in the car.) I left my phone number with the head cashier and a couple of the baggers. People were generally [-]wondering if I was losing my marbles[/-] sympathetic but no one had seen anything.
My spouse remembered a couple behind us. She suspected that they'd seem me drop the wallet so she found them in the store and told them that her stupid husband had lost his wallet. She said we were notifying the police, she'd seen them enter the store behind us and would they mind helping with the investigation, if they'd seen anything could they please tell the head cashier, what a misfortune as the holidays approached, the money wasn't important but the license & military ID would be a huge hassle to replace, woe was me, etc. The woman said that they hadn't seen anything and was, well, sympathetic. The man was less responsive but spouse thought he had bad body language.
When we got home I pulled out my scan of the wallet's contents and made the usual calls. The credit-card companies said that no one had started a shopping spree but I went through the whole list anyway-- ATM card, two credit cards, two blank checks, our TRICARE cards, and a fraud alert with all three credit-reporting agencies. (The military helpfully puts our Social Security numbers on our IDs.) I also reported my ID to Schofield security in case it showed up in a terrorist incident. I even carried a spare house key so I re-keyed the lock.
Monday morning was fun. My spouse drove me to the license bureau (with my passport) for a replacement license, and I was petrified to let them see me use my reading glasses for fear that I'd have to go through the full license-exam process. Once I was street-legal we drove to the local Personnel Support Detachment and spent an hour waiting for a new military ID. Everything else is "in the mail"-- 11 days later I have one replacement credit card (Fidelity, whose FIA Card Services staff was outstanding) and new TRICARE cards. I'm still waiting on NFCU's ATM card and USAA's credit card.
Yesterday, 5 Dec, 10 days after I dropped it, my wallet was put in a yellow padded 6"x9" mailer and sent from a Honolulu ZIP code. It came in the mail today. No return address, of course, but they didn't have any trouble figuring out our address from my driver's license. The handwriting is neat & clean but I'm unable to decide if it's male or female.
No note or explanation. The cash is gone. Everything else is there-- military ID, credit cards, ATM card, blank checks, house key, and even the Home Depot gift card. As near as I can tell everything was in its original slots & places, although it could've been handled. I doubt I could interest the police in fingerprints or DNA electrophoresis of the saliva on the stamps...
I can't imagine why someone would return the wallet-- unless spouse made them feel guilty when she confronted them? And waiting 10 days was a nice touch-- just enough time for me to finish the replacement actions. I'd think that a professional would've thrown everything away after taking the cash, and a real expert would be auctioning the contents to identity-theft websites-- or at least selling the Home Depot card on Craigslist.
It could've been mailed by a Good Samaritan who wanted to remain anonymous (or a repentant amateur crook) but I've still filed the fraud alerts with the credit-reporting agencies.
Or maybe there's something else going on, and that's why I'm posting this. Anyone had this happen recently? Is there some sort of scam that involves returning a lost wallet? Is this an advanced form of identity theft? Anything else I'm missing?