9 things you should never keep in your purse

5. Old receipts

We’re all guilty of shoving receipts in our bags and unearthing them months later, but you should get in the habit of regularly organising and throwing out receipts.

Though they’re not as tragic a loss as your identifying documents, receipts paint a picture of what you typically spend money on, which can make it easier for someone to make purchases with your cards without raising suspicion.

“It’s giving a thief a great picture of who you are and where you shop,” Velasquez told Reader’s Digest. “All fraud analytics look for anomalies in behaviour, and your receipts show where you shop.”