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A teenager who lost his wallet on his way to a hockey game at Memorial Arena Friday evening discovered that someone had used his credit card to pay for a full tank of gas and food at Taco Time within a matter of hours.
At around 7:00 p.m., Nick parked his car by the Okanagan Military Museum, put his wallet in his hoodie pocket, slung his hockey gear over his shoulder and began his walk around the building to the Memorial Arena.
Nick realized his wallet was missing soon after entering the arena. Immediately he began searching all over for his wallet through retracing his steps to and from the arena and looking through his pockets and car.
Nick was unable to find his wallet and had to abandon the search to play his hockey game which started at 7:30 p.m.
After winning the game 6-5, Nick continued his search but to no avail.
Once home, Nick and his parents contacted CIBC to cancel his credit card and check if any purchases had been made in case his wallet had been stolen.
A CIBC representative asked Nick if he had recently purchased any gas or food from Taco Time. Which he hadn’t.
CIBC quickly canceled Nick’s card, reversed the charges and told him they were issuing him a new card that should be with him within the next four to ten days.
Nick is still concerned that whoever has stolen his card now has access to lots of important information, including his student card number at the Okanagan College and his home address.
Despite it likely being possible to track down the suspect by examining the surveillance footage at the gas station, it’s unlikely that the RCMP will take the time to invest resources into investigating a minor crime.
However, because wallets and phones get lost quite often, it raises the question of what motivates people to steal rather than return them. Is it to do with someone's social class and wealth? Or is it do with someone's background and upbringing, or evolving times and cultures?
Either way, regardless of motivations, this incident should serve as a reminder to people to keep an extra eye on their wallets and smartphones - especially during a time when identity theft is becoming an increasingly common problem. Because it could only take a matter of minutes for someone to notice you drop your valuables and quickly pick them up.
If you find yourself in a similar situation where you lose you wallet, here's are two good websites that provide advice on what you can do: CIBC, Identity Theft.
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