by Vinny Knowles

Created on: December 01, 2008   Last Updated: April 02, 2009

"Oh Mom, did you come out of the wrong exit again?" Your teenage daughter says with exasperation interupting your phone conversation with your husband.

"Not this time! I created a mental picture to help me remember. My picture was a monkey reading a book." you comment as you scan the parking lot.

"Mom, WHAT are you talking about?!" she says as she rolls her eyes.

"We came in the door of Books a Million near the exotic pet shop." You say to her as you point to the pet shop next to the entrance of Books A Million.

"Honey, I don't see the car," you say with concern to your husband on the phone. You quickly hang up and turn to your daughter.

"What did Dad say?" Your daughter asks.

You answer with distraction, "He said that he had seen a lady in the parking lot at Walmart last week who looked in the parking lot for ten minutes before she finally got in a car and drove away." Then he said, "You'd better start walking".

"Mom, do you remember singing the Mickey Mouse song when you pointed to the M' sign when we parked?" Your daughter asks as she points to the "M" sign that marks the lane in the parking lot.

You both let your eyes roam down the lanes and realize this is not a joke. Your car is not where you left it.

Suddenly you feel panic as you realize your car has been stolen.

What should you do?

Well the first thing you should do is call the police, immediately! Tell the police your exact location. If you don't know the number for the police, call 911.

Don't worry about calling your insurance company just yet. They will need a police report before they can process a claim. When the police arrive, they will ask you for the make and model of your car, the license plate number, the color, and anything distinctive about the car. They will also want your insurance information. They may also want to know the condition of the car when it was taken. Was there any apparent damage? They will also need to know what was in the car. Make sure you carefully list anything of value. Also, tell the police if there was paperwork in the car that would reveal your address or other personal information. Remember to ask police when and where you can get a copy of the accident report.

After finishing with the police, promptly call the insurance company. It is important that you do so quickly because the thief could cause damages with your car. You want to make sure the insurance company knows that it is not you driving!

The Insurance company will have a list of things that they need as well. They will need your title, and a description of the vehicle. They will want to know if you have made any recent changes in the car; they may also want current maintenance records. You will be asked to give the names of anyone who has access to one of your spare car keys. They will need to know everything that was in the car, especially any valuables. If you had rental car coverage, you will also need to talk to the insurance company about getting a rental car.

You will need to call the finance company if you are still making payments on the car. Likewise, if the car was leased, you will need to call the company that leased it to you.

The locks on the house will need to be changed if there was a spare house key in the car. Carefully think through the contents of the car at the time it was stolen. You will need to cancel any credit cards that may have been left in the car.

And lastly, if you happen to see the car that was stolen in the neighborhood, don't try to approach the driver. Contact the police and let them handle it.

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