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I've been doing some traveling lately, I started wondering. What happens if I lose my wallet (my ID, all credit cards, etc.) and my phone, or get mugged or such? How can I establish my identity? Say, my hotel key was in the wallet - would I be locked out of the hotel? How would they know I am me if I show up and ask for a replacement key? I mean, they can send a security guy with me to the room - and then what? All the stuff in my suitcase are very generic guy's clothes that could be anybody's. I probably don't even remember which exactly t-shirts and jeans I packed. They don't have labels or anything that points to me. How would they know? How would I get home, for that matter - I can't fly without an ID, and I can't get a new ID until I am in the same state at least - if I am not living in this state, they can't issue me a new ID.
I could go to the police maybe - though I wouldn't even know where "the police" is in a random city. But even assuming I just get lucky and encounter a traffic cop or something, and they explain me where the closest police station is - do I walk there then? And when there - how would they know I am me? Do they have access to other state's databases? Since I am a naturalized citizen, DHS for sure has a lot of my photos and fingerprints, but can any police precinct access it just on a word of a random dude? And after that - even if they do believe me, they can't issue me a new ID, right? So how do I still get home (or even to the airport, for that matter)?
Also, is there a good strategy to prepare for such eventuality? I can't just ask DMV for a secondary ID that I would keep in my suitcase in the hotel, for example, can I? I could probably take my passport, but the chance I lose it actually makes it more dangerous, and recovering the passport is probably even more annoying. Does a form of secondary ID that is not as costly to lose exist?
If you get mugged or pickpocketed, you walk into the nearest establishment like a bar or a hotel, tell them you have been mugged and ask them to call the police. This solves the question of getting to the nearest police station. You also ask them to call your hotel so they can block access to your room and your bank to freeze your credit cards. The cops probably know where your wallet is, most street-level criminals don't need your ID.
If you've lost everything (let's say you mixed your prescription pills with alcohol and blanked out), get to your hotel. They know enough about you that you can prove your identity to them: full name, room number, phone or email, maybe they even have some CCTV footage or a copy of your ID (I don't know if they copy it in the US).
They stopped copying IDs years ago in most hotels. Of course they'd have a record of Mr. JJJ in their database, the problem is proving that guy and me are the same person. CCTV would help but I am not sure whether an underpaid receptionist would have access to such things, especially days back. I guess if I am insistent enough they could at least get someone who does on the phone, if only to get rid of me.
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