Ever lost your purse?

That's the kind of thing I have in mind too.

I bought a couple of packs of these for us all because I wanted landscape orientation for ease of removal and easy identification. Not much choice of decorative ones surprisingly.

No problem shysal. I've been looking on Amazon at the purses and wallets that are advertised as having RFID protection built in. Problem is that when you read the feedback, it turns out the RFID protection doesn't work. I didn't look at the expensive purses and wallets because I wouldn't pay the kind of price (e.g. more than about £25). We'll be buying packs of the sleeves too. Some come with nice designs to make it easier to remember which card they contain. Changing world.

Thanks for the RFID info Wilma. I have ordered a job lot of sleeves from Ebay for myself and family members. Cheap as chips!

That's what I was talking about JackyB. It's called RFID blocking protection.

I have heard this story, though it may be an urban myth:

Lady goes to loo in a large supermarket, hanging her bag on the hook provided, quite high up on the side wall. Whilst she is sat there, a hand reaches over and take the bag off the hook. She is, of course, not able to react quickly enough and the thief gets away with the bag.

A few days later she receives a phone call from the supermarket to say that they have found the bag and she could collect it.

She sets off for the supermarket straight away, of course, but they have no recollection of the phone call. When she gets home, her house has been entered and all valuables stolen.

As I say, it may be an urban myth.

I have been lucky (or just very careful) and have never had my purse stolen, but I have several anecdotes where friends and family have.

I am now thinking about protecting my purse from these card-readers, as our GS's other granddad had his card read somewhere and then several transactions were carried out over his account - in New York!

I found a handbag in bandq this evening. Pleased to say that bandq phoned the owner so panic over.

PS Slashing a bag with a knife is the way thieves target backpackers. Same applies to the knapsack style of handbag.

Thanks NanKate. I was wondering how you attached the chain to your purse.

Some how over the years I have gone from being very safety conscious and keeping the various valuables separate in my bag, to carrying everything in my purse. I think it started when I was travelling abroad for work and needed to log so much stuff about, so compact became the norm. Now though, I have just received my new driving license and it's the first time I have had the photo card type, so that fact and this thread started me thinking about keeping everything safer.

We're both due new debit cards in the next 6 months and expect they will be contactless cards. We've been looking at the foil lined envelope cases that are everywhere now to prevent fraudsters stealing your information on the cards and then using it to buy goods. The bad guys are always at least 2 steps ahead.

Hi All, I bought my chains I use three from Amazon at about £1.75 each. I attach them to the metal loop that opens the purse and then attach the other end to the inside of the bag on the metal tag of the inside pocket. Most bags inside pockets.

I sometimes attach my house keys and car keys too.

I also have £20 tucked in my mobile phone case and I put my bus pass, when I use the bus, in my coat pocket which has a zip. Also my front door keys. So I can get home, gave some spare cash and open the door. Hey presto.

Well done Shysal - it's amazing what you can do in an emergency

I left my purse in a car when I was hitching back from Cornwall; the money didn't bother me too much but in the purse was the only photo I'd had taken of myself at that time, and I'd so love to see it again. Life was much simpler pre credit cards and suchlike.

I never lost a purse but I have had them stolen several times. The most brazen, but unsuccessful attempt, was when I was running down an almost empty tube platform to get into the right carriage to be opposite the exit at my destination station.

I suddenly became aware of someone running quite close behind me. When I turned my head there was a man who immediately pulled back. When I got onto the train I noticed that my handbag which had a flap that buckled partly under the bag was undone. I was castigating myself for being so careless and leaving it undone, when I remembered that it had been done up because as I entered the station I had pushed something into the bag from the side where the flap came over the top because I couldn't be bothered to unbuckle and rebuckle it. The man running behind me had unbuckled the bag and was, presumably, planning to steal my purse. had I not become aware of him.

On a recent visit to Chesterfield, the Police there were handing out purse chains to shoppers. I took one gratefully. It's a bit of a nuiscance but at least you have a fighting chance if someone dips your bag. Or cuts it. A friend of mine had hers taken in a crowded street and found a large slash in the leather where they had cut the bag to get their hand in. She felt nothing. I have very nearly lost my bag a couple of times through my own stupidity. I used to hang it on the hook on the supermarket trolley, and then forget to take it off when I loaded the shopping into the car. Each time, some kind soul took it back into the store. Restores your faith in human nature. Now I use an across the body bag!

I have heard that the motor bike robbers often carry a knife to cut the straps of bags.

Some years ago I was walking in my village when a youth ran up behind me shouting 'Give me your purse'. I amazed myself by spinning and giving him a backwards karate kick in the b***s whereupon he scarpered!. I have never performed such a move before or since!

After mine was stolen I stopped using a handbag for a while. I decided it wasn't really necessary and I had a waist purse covered by my coat.
In spite of that, I was once (in the same town) walking along carrying a sort of shopping bag, and 2 youths drove up on a motor bike. One got off and tried to grab my shopping bag. I kept hold of it and tugged, he fell over!I wished after I had kicked him in the ...But the strap broke and he got it - but nothing in it They drove off.

My dd thought her purse had been stolen at Waterloo station in the teeming rush hour. Cancelled cards and whatnot, but did check at Lost Property the next day, just in case. And lo, some kind person had handed it in, intact - she had evidently dropped it somehow. Does restore your faith.

We had burglars who took laptops, Dh's iPhone (my phone too ancient! to bother with!) and my purse out of my bag.

Some months later someone who lives several hundred yards away put it through the letterbox while we were out. They had found it in their garden where someone had evidently chucked it over the fence. It was in a sad state but there were my driving licence, library card and EEC health card - I hadn't bothered replacing any of them.
I hardly ever keep much cash in my purse so they'd have been disappointed there.

However a few years previously someone yanked open the passenger door of my car while I was waiting at a busy junction in the dark and rain. He just grabbed my bag off the front seat and scarpered. If only I'd had central locking on he couldn't have done it - I had made it so easy for him. Please use your central locking! Having said that I STILL don't always remember...

bellanonna it was pretty obvious. Wearing scarves over their heads, wrapped under their chins, long skirts to the floor, olive skinned and in a group with some olive skinned men. No, she didn't announce, before she nicked my purse, what nationality she was. But they weren't black, they weren't white, they weren't Indian or oriental. So that was my assumption. Hope that's clear. I am not racist. I just said it as it was.

I have had my purse stolen only once, but it caused so much hassle! I now have a separate purse and card wallet, each of which is attached to a long chain connected to my handbag, as recommended by NanKate. I think it may have been her who mentioned hers on here before, prompting me to buy them. Mine are 2 ft long so that I can leave my bag on my shoulder when making payments. Some have a clip each end, others a key ring one end and clip the other. I get a few funny looks at the till sometimes, but I don't care!
purse chain

Did she actually say what country she was from?? Unpleasant experience though.

I was pick pocketed cleverly once. Was on way to Chelsea flower show with group of friends. My purse was in my bag with bag zipped up. Friends got on the tube, and an Eastern European woman pushed in front of me and stood blocking my way on. Thinking 'how rude' I went back and forth trying to get past her, fearing the doors would close and my friends disappear! As I eventually barged past. She lightly stepped backwards off of the train as the doors closed and I noticed she was standing with a group as the train left. I realised when I got to the show my purse was gone. She must have had an accomplice behind me, unzipping and nabbing purse while I was preoccupied trying to get past her.

And how did they know the purse was in there?
Yes our back door was open too. I have a good idea who the thief was, they lived opposite at the back , and moved soon after.

Nearly 30 years ago I was getting ready for a trip into town with my DC to buy school clothes. My purse, with a goodly sum of cash inside, was already zipped into my shopping bag on the kitchen work surface. When we got to the bus stop, no purse. Someone must have walked in through the (yes, unlocked) front door, along the hall (past the door to the room we were in), unzipped the bag, looked for the purse, taken it (and nothing else), zipped it back up and vanished. I still can't believe they were so precise!

When we were living in a NE town (which will be nameless) We were robbed a few times, cars, burglaries, bag snatching etc.
The worst though was someone coming into the house and taking my handbag. As others have said, my purse contained several cards and personal photos.
Even though I cancelled all cards the thief had still managed to spend about £2000, maybe some cheques used, which the bank covered.
After that I went without a card for a long time.
Also bought a waist purse which I still use when out shopping.And still have nightmares about losing my handbag and purse.

A lady that I help had her purse lifted while she was in a local supermarket. They weren't very helpful but police eventually recorded the theft. £80 cashs/cards etc. A couple days later a police support officer turned up to see if she was ok and gave her a chain to attach a purse to her bag.
Few days later a chap knocked on her door, said that while walking his dog he had found her purse (minus the cash but all cards still inside) thrown in a field in nearby town. Another persons with it, which he also returned.