When the unthinkable happens (GC/wallet gets stolen)

[GC_TRAP]

So, while traveling through a third world country, where you don't speak the language (like in Mexico) you get pickpocketed and your GC, DL, cash, credit cards, everything gone in a blink of an eye.

You don't speak the language, you cannot easily find help, you are not a US citizen, US embassy won't help you for a few days, your embassy cannot help you as your passport (thankfully) was not stolen.

Pure nightmare. You have nowhere to turn to, no one to ask for help.

Finally, a few days later, US embassy issues a temporary entry permit document.

Now, you have at least $400.00 worth of expense in replacing GC, not to mention other items, and some stuff that you can never replace.

I know it's happened to some of us, and the nightmare and truama doesn't hit you reading other people's stories, until it happens to you. In many years of traveling to many countries, there's only one instance when it happens, when everything changes.

Please share your thoughts on how to go about rebuilding your life after such a terrible experience.

[TheRealCanadian]

Originally Posted by GC_TRAP

Please share your thoughts on how to go about rebuilding your life after such a terrible experience.

Last time I checked, losing my wallet and GC in a foreign country doesn't require my life to be rebuilt. Lose a child or a marriage or one's life savings and get back to us once you know what rebuilding your life really is.

No offense, but you're out $400, some worry and some time. If all life's problems could be resolved so quickly and cheaply.

[nelsona]

I hear the sound of tiny violins.

[GC_TRAP]

...for your very kind and encouraging words. And for listening to tiny violins that play melody to your ears, but I hope that you never find yourselves in a similar situation.

After you are done mocking, maybe you can actually share some ideas on what immediate steps and in what order, one should take in getting things (or life as the case may be) back together again.

[mmed]

Originally Posted by TheRealCanadian

Last time I checked, losing my wallet and GC in a foreign country doesn't require my life to be rebuilt. Lose a child or a marriage or one's life savings and get back to us once you know what rebuilding your life really is.

No offense, but you're out $400, some worry and some time. If all life's problems could be resolved so quickly and cheaply.

My sister lost here purse with GC, SSC, DL, few pucks (in USA not in developing country) and she applied for replacement and she live as normal live as many others. when I see those who lost their lives, kids ... I say thanks god.

[GC_TRAP]

...while for some it is where we keep more than just a few things. Money gone is no big issue, GC can also be replaced, so can the DL, and credit cards. How do you replace a hard copy phone directory that has names, contacts, addresses of all your family, friends, business associates, when (as luck would have it) you never made a second copy. How do you replace some valuable, last picture of a loved one who is no more? Or a last handwritten note from the same person?

Along with irreplacable information, it's the actual nightmare experience (the sinking feeling of finding yourself in a unfamiliar country, with unfamiliar people) and the anxiety and fear it creates, and having no recourse to help, and from being relatively wealthy in your own country to suddenly having a total stranger give you a few bucks (as charity) to hop on the next bus to go some place? Have you had that experience? How do you replace that?

I see that fellow posters are undermining the situation and making light of it, by comparing it to much worse suffering. I think it is immature to compare this experience with life-changing experiences of losing a loved one, or losing all of life's savings (which too can be regained). But to say that a horrible experience like this is nothing to lose sleep over is downright insensitive.

But I think I'm barking up the wrong tree on this forum, as nobody yet has suggested steps I should take to prevent identity theft/fraud and replacement of documents that can be replaced. All I see is remarks like you haven't lost a child, and if you did, you haven't lost a family, or community etc. Puerile comparisons, bereft of empathy.

[GotPR?]

Do you know why people did not suggest you what to do ?
Because it's quite obvious what to do and there is not many options. What is so difficult to understand that ?
Passport ? Go to your country's embassy.
Money ? Carry TC and replace it.
Credit card ? Call CC company.
Ticket ? Call airline company.
Green card ? Go to the US embassy.

What else can you do other than that ?

Regarding your "valuables" which are lost, FORGET IT. If I know the way how to get it back, I must be ruling this world.

Originally Posted by GC_TRAP

...while for some it is where we keep more than just a few things. Money gone is no big issue, GC can also be replaced, so can the DL, and credit cards. How do you replace a hard copy phone directory that has names, contacts, addresses of all your family, friends, business associates, when (as luck would have it) you never made a second copy. How do you replace some valuable, last picture of a loved one who is no more? Or a last handwritten note from the same person?

Along with irreplacable information, it's the actual nightmare experience (the sinking feeling of finding yourself in a unfamiliar country, with unfamiliar people) and the anxiety and fear it creates, and having no recourse to help, and from being relatively wealthy in your own country to suddenly having a total stranger give you a few bucks (as charity) to hop on the next bus to go some place? Have you had that experience? How do you replace that?

I see that fellow posters are undermining the situation and making light of it, by comparing it to much worse suffering. I think it is immature to compare this experience with life-changing experiences of losing a loved one, or losing all of life's savings (which too can be regained). But to say that a horrible experience like this is nothing to lose sleep over is downright insensitive.

But I think I'm barking up the wrong tree on this forum, as nobody yet has suggested steps I should take to prevent identity theft/fraud and replacement of documents that can be replaced. All I see is remarks like you haven't lost a child, and if you did, you haven't lost a family, or community etc. Puerile comparisons, bereft of empathy.

[StonedAnt]

I say just never leave the house. Won't have to carry the GC with you in your wallet this way and no one will steal it. Order a heavy duty safe online with the most sophisticated encryption coding algorithm and choose the most sophisticated password that only you can remember. Please the GC inside the safe, lock it and set the temperature/moisture control as nominal. Ensure that the laser sensors around the safe set off the alarm in your house when someone comes near it and also alert the security company such as ADT. The sensors should be smart enough to detect if the approaching being is a human or an animal. The animals may be zapped through an electric shock, whereas the humans should only be tazed mildy to knock them unconscience and a metal cage fall on them so they get locked till the police arrive.

This practice will provide 10% less anxiety in most cases.


Stoned!

[Jackolantern]

When you travel abroad, don't carry both the GC and your passport, and don't leave them both at the hotel. Leave the passport in the hotel safe and carry the GC, or vice versa. Similarly, don't leave or carry all your credit cards or all your money in the same place. Have some with you, some in the hotel.

[GCman2005]

you can also scan CG and DL sent it to yourself by email, it might speep the process in you need to show proof at the us embassy...

[sfmars]

If it happened and you lost your all documents and money.... First of all you have to go to local police department and report that your important documents were lost/stolen. You must get a report from them.

I know this is a preliminary step is required by US consulate and by consulate of many countries before to speak to them.

You must remember your alien number A# to prove consulate your identity.
In several days they may issue a transportation letter to return back to US.
I doubt they will speak to you without your national passport .....
Only if there is no relationships of your country with the country where you are, I would go directly to US consulate first.


The situation with lost documents is not funny and in some countries resolution can be not straight forward.

In some countries you can be treated as criminal or illegal immigrant, you may get a really hard time even in the police department.

Not only in the developing countries you can get hard time, I read story of guy who got these problem in Spain and local police did not understand English and they were about to put him into the prison.

[GC_TRAP]

Thank you Jacko and sfmars for your suggestions. It is appreciated. I have begun the process of replacing all my documents. I did go through the whole process of filing a police report. What was interesting at PoE was how the chinese-american officer just deliberated a long time over my entry and at one point, asked point-blank, how much I had paid the officer at US embassy to procure the Transportation Letter. Imagine!

DMV tells me that they will annotate on my record in their system (not on my DL) that they are issuing me a DUPLICATE, so if I get pulled over, the officer may need to do some additional verification to ensure integrity of the DL.

On the I-90, the section that states "Date of Admission as an immigrant or Adjustment of Status", is it safe to put the issue date of the GC or is this a date of last entry into the US. I am inclined to lean toward the date AOS happened or "resident since date". Any thoughts?

[Jackolantern]

Originally Posted by GC_TRAP

On the I-90, the section that states "Date of Admission as an immigrant or Adjustment of Status", is it safe to put the issue date of the GC or is this a date of last entry into the US. I am inclined to lean toward the date AOS happened or "resident since date". Any thoughts?

That is the date you became a permanent resident. Which would be the date your I-485 was approved if you followed the AOS process, or the date you first entered the US with an immigrant visa if you did consular processing.

[GC_TRAP]

So, I finally applied online and of course (as feared) missed the last two questions on Part 3, about if I have ever been in exclusion or deportation proceedings (on Form I-90). There's always something that comes to get you...but hopefully it's a small issue and they will not delay or deny my application because of those two questions.

BTW, how long does it take for the replacement card to arrive? If I were to believe online case status proceedings, it could be many months or even half a year, depending on where it was filed. What is reasonable time frame?

Lastly, if there were a need for emergency travel abroad while the replacement card is being processed, what are the options? Carry the receipt, apply for re-entry permit, or just travel and hope to get a Transportation Letter from the US embassy in the country of travel?

Thanks!

[Jackolantern]

Originally Posted by GC_TRAP

Lastly, if there were a need for emergency travel abroad while the replacement card is being processed, what are the options? Carry the receipt, apply for re-entry permit, or just travel and hope to get a Transportation Letter from the US embassy in the country of travel?

Take the I-90 receipt and go for an Infopass appointment. They will give you an I-551 stamp in your passport which is temporary proof of permanent resident status, which you can use for travel or employment.

[GC_TRAP]

Usually I'll see any case become available online after 72 hours but I do not see my GC replacement case after five days. The starting digits are MSC and the usual four service center prefixes. I think MSC may be National Benefits Center code.

Check was encashed so that's a good sign. I guess I'll keep on checking online status frequently. Any thoughts, anyone?

[GC_TRAP]

I did get my biometrics notice in the mail, only that it is close to noon and that's a waste of many hours for me as my office is many miles away in the opposite direction. Can one venture out and arrive at the ASC at 8:00AM or about to give biometrics?

Does it matter, could there be a refusal by the officer and be asked to wait until noon?

I thought I read somewhere that you could arrive earlier in the day, regardless of the time on the notice, but don't know what the general experiences have been on the issue.

[TheRealCanadian]

Originally Posted by GC_TRAP

I did get my biometrics notice in the mail, only that it is close to noon and that's a waste of many hours for me as my office is many miles away in the opposite direction. Can one venture out and arrive at the ASC at 8:00AM or about to give biometrics? Does it matter, could there be a refusal by the officer and be asked to wait until noon?

You can try. If they're not busy you can probably get it done earlier. If they are, then they may ask you to wait.