Like I did yesterday!
Some thieving bastard took the opportunity (after gaining access to the locked meeting room in a hotel) to steal my debit cards and driving licence. A couple of hours later, and 50 or so miles away, a female (the bitch) got £300 out of one bank, and attmpted to get over £200 from another branch and over £200 from a cashpoint.
The thing is, I never ever leave my bag. But, it was a locked room, all three of us females talked about it and agreed it would be safe as we were only yards away having lunch for half an hour.
All I am thankful for is that my purse with all those other personal bits like photos and notes (as well as the Tesco club card etc!) was left as well as my sunglasses and car keys.
More so, it's only documents etc which can be replaced and the bank take the hit for the £300. Obviously the person(s) are likely to try and gain credit/loans etc in my name so I have joined CIFAS which is a protection agency and will hopefully prevent that from happening too often.
Typical, I have also just a photo card driving licence which I put in my purse (kept the old style one at home for years). Not a very nice thought that someone is out there pretending to be me.
Apparently this is so common - you leave your bag in the conference or meeting room, nip out to loo or lunch and by the time you are back your bag has been ransacked. Cleverly, they put everything back and as you are at a conference and unlikely to need your card etc, you don't realise until hours later on the way home or when you get home to find a message from the bank on your answer phone.
More devious is when they photograph your card, take the 3 digit number off the strip on the back and put it back - then hit the shops online and you don't even know about it as you still have your cards.
This is just a warning to everyone else, I am fairly intelligent and usually sensible yet I felt like a complete idiot yesterday for making it so easy. I shouldn't have given anyone that opportunity. I shred envelopes with my name and address on at home and am usually so careful. Please don't do what I did yesterday - it was relatively easy to sort out but I could have done with out the hassle, upset and inconvenience.
DON'T LET IT HAPPEN TO YOU!!!!