The 3 Things You Need To Get Anywhere & Anything

Whether you want to sign up for a credit card, enroll in school, access loans, or purchase a property, there are a few things in life you need with you at all times, in either the care of your guardians, or you! The scary thing is: You can lose these things, or these things can be hacked or stolen from you. The process of recovering these items is far more stringent with these items just because of how many agencies, organizations, etc. rely on these pieces of information in order to provide you services. We’ll detail the 3 crucial things you need, then provide a course of action if you happen to lose them or they get stolen. 

1. Your birth certificate 

It’s safe to say that pretty much everything you attain after birth, requires your birth certificate. In order to obtain your social security or your driver’s license, you need this document. It is the proof of your citizenship, and it is a record of who you are, and who your parents are. In some instances, you’ll need it to get a marriage licence, secure insurance benefits, enroll in school, etc. Now, what do you do if your birth certificate is damaged, destroyed or lost? Thankfully there are organizations that are dedicated to updating and restoring important records like this. Let’s say you’re wondering: what do I do if I lost my birth certificate? In the U.S. birth certificates are not issued federally, they are distributed by states. Research how your birthplace issues birth certificates and then you can find out what the cost and price is to replace or update your birth certificate. The things that you’ll need in order to get your birth certificate again are your gender, birthplace, DOB (date of birth), your parents full names and birthplaces, your social security, and your reason for the request. 

2. Your social security number

This nine digit letter is something you need to have memorized–ready at a moment’s notice. The importance of your social security number makes it all the more crucial that you keep this piece of information as secure as possible. Someone can access your social security through a myriad of ways: your mail, your e-banking account if they hack it, an unsecured website where you enter this information, posing by phone or email is a credit card company, or paying an inside source to give them your information. Do not give out your phone number over the phone–your bank or medical office will not ask you for these things out of the blue so politely decline. Since social security fraud is on the rise, it’s worth covering what happens when your identity gets stolen. If you feel that someone is misusing your identity, you can file a report to identitytheft.gov to report the identity theft and get a recovery plan. It’s a resource set up through the FTC (Federal Trade Commission). You should also contact the IRS to make sure that the person who stole your identity didn’t file a tax return and claim the refund in your name. Another great resource is IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint). File a complaint with them too, because they will send this complaint to regulatory and law enforcement agencies. If all else fails, you can get a new social security number. This is however, only in the case of someone taking your number and using. Not if you lost your card, damaged it, or if you want to avoid any sort of legal responsibility.  

3. Some form of I.D. 

Identification can come in two forms: your Driver’s license or your passport. The necessity for it is obvious in many cases, like taking flights, filing an insurance claim, verifying your identity for jobs and job-related platforms. For your driver’s license, you’ll need to consult your local DMV to see how you can get that replaced. If your passport is lost, as in the physical copy (not the number being compromised), report this immediately so that it is deemed invalid and not able to protect yourself from identity theft. After reporting it lost either online, over the phone or via mail, apply for an appointment in-person with a passport agency. If you’re traveling in more than 4 weeks, then book an appointment with a passport acceptance facility. If you are outside of the United States when you lose your passport, then contact your nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. 

Always, always remember where these 3 items are, at all times. It’s worthwhile to memorize the general course of action to take when you lose these items. When we get into panic mode, we don’t always think straight, but if we remember what to do and what steps to take, it can be a framework we rely on to make sure we keep our identity and information in safe hands.