Protect Your Personal Items...Like Your Life Depends on It

I was in the grocery store yesterday and noticed something that I see quite often unfortunately.  I lady was shopping and had left her purse wide open (apparently her coupon book was in her purse) in the child seat area of her shopping cart as she wandered off to check prices on a shelf about ten feet away.  This was dumb and dangerous on so many levels and although this would have been a great teachable moment, I wasn't in the mood to cause a commotion and possibly end up in jail so I let it pass.  What I wanted to tell her was this:

• A thief can grab your entire purse in less than ten seconds. Or he may be sneakier and just grab your wallet, cell phone, and keys.
• He will then take your keys, go into the parking lot, and click the fob until he sees where your car is.
• If he wants to kidnap you, he will wait patiently in the back seat of your car, hidden until he has you alone and under his control.
• Another option would be to steal the money and credit cards in your wallet then steal your identity.
• If he was feeling particularly energetic, he will drive off in your car, check your home address on your license or on your GPS, then drive over to your house, open the garage with the garage door opener in the car, let himself into your house (most people don't lock the door between the garage and house), then wait so he could rape or murder you and/or steal everything of value in your home.

What else would the thief get?

• He can pick the medical insurance card out of your wallet and sell it to someone who will use it to get free medical care.
• He will have your smart phone which is just loaded with information (pictures of your kids, your schedule, access to your email/FaceBook/LinkedIn/Twitter accounts, etc).
• Your email/smartphone and/or iPad/computer will open up a whole world of information to him (think of all of the documents you have linked to these items such as all of your bank account numbers and passwords, a scanned copy of your passport and driver's license, and confidential work documents).
• He will take your business card out of your wallet, note the address of your office, figure out which key will open your office door, then go into your office and take whatever he wants.

It's a scary scenario to think about but these kinds of things do happen.  It is imperative for your piece of mind as well as safety to closely guard your personal items (wallet, cell phone, keys, GPS, etc) like your life depended on it...it just may.