Well over seven million people in the United States last year alone were victims of identity theft resulting in about fifty billion dollars of fraudulent credit card, bank, and other financial charges. A large number of these victims were tourists, business travelers, and people on their holidays. Here is some valuable information that may save you a lot of grief when you travel.
It is very easy when people travel on vacation to let their guard down. They have a lot on their minds remembering everything they need to take care of before they go and what they need to take with them on vacation. Not only that, they want to relax, unwind, and have fun. Isn’t that what vacations are suppose to be all about? When they travel they don’t want to have to be on guard all time and constantly concerned about getting ripped off every second of their holidays.
There are three serious sources of identity theft that you should be aware of when you travel. They’re your wallet, laptop or PDA, and internet cafes.
Research shows that most identity thefts happen when people’s wallets are stolen, usually by professional pick pockets. Whether you travel on business or vacation you must guard your wallet at all times because you are at more risk than in familiar surroundings. Never carry your wallet in your back pocket – it’s not called the “sucker pocket” for nothing. It’s best to put your wallet in a fanny pack. A number of travelers prefer a fanny pack with a Velcro closure instead of a zippered one because you can hear it being opened. The usual places you will find pickpockets are in crowded areas such as airports, train and bus stations, hotel lobbies, restaurants, and sporting events.
Almost everyone carries more personal information in their wallets then they need. What you should do before you travel is to go through your wallet and take out any personal information that you don’t need when traveling such as bank checks and check books, credit card receipts, bills, and memberships cards such as library cards. Also, you do not need to take your social security card as you probably already have that number memorized by heart.
Debit cards are a convenient way to take small amounts of cash out of ATM’s when you travel, but they are also a great way for thieves to clean out your bank account if they get a hold of them. One way to reduce this risk is to open up a separate account at your bank before you leave and only put as much day-to-day cash in as you think you might need for your holidays. Take only this debit card with you.
Credit cards are protected by Federal law so are a much better choice to take with you as you are generally covered for any fraudulent charges incurred. Also, if you are over-charged or find an error on any of your credit card transactions when traveling, it’s easier to get the charges corrected or reversed from the card companies. You probably should take two credit cards in case one is lost, or compromised. You can obtain smaller, limited amount prepaid cash cards from Visa, MasterCard, and American Express that are perfect for daily use. You can get these cash cards in any denomination. It’s probably best to purchase a couple of cards with a low limit of five hundred dollars or less each. If the cards are compromised, the credit card companies will replace any lost or pilfered funds. You should leave your major cards and passport in your hotel room safe or the hotel’s safe along with any other personal information that you do not need from day to day.
Before you travel, be sure and check that your credit cards do not expire while you are on vacation. And remember to call your credit card issuers and let them know when and where you plan to holiday so they don’t have a seizure or conniption fit and cancel your card when they see a credit charge appearing from some place like Timbuktu. Be sure and make a note of these phone numbers and take them with you when traveling on vacation.
Another major source of identity theft starts with a stolen laptop. Well over six hundred thousand laptops are lost or pilfered in the U.S. alone, frequently from inattentive travelers in airports, restaurants, and hotel lobbies.
Before you travel, backup your laptop and put the backup disc in a safe place at home or in your safety deposit box at the bank just in case your laptop is stolen or lost. Put a small strip of colored tape on the top and bottom of your laptop and laptop case as most laptops and their cases look very similar in appearance. Write your name, destination address, as well as contact information at your destination on a piece of paper and tape it to your laptop just in case it’s lost at the airport. Don’t put your home address on this piece of paper. It’s better to use your business or work address and phone number. There are a large number of laptops left behind unintentionally. The lost and found offices at airports do not have time to try and gain access to every laptop left behind which are more than likely password protected anyway.
The third major source of identity theft can happen at any public computer or internet cafe. Your personal information could be at risk even if you are just accessing or sending e-mails. Key stroke loggers could be installed which secretly keeps a record of all user names, passwords and personal information entered on public computers. Even if the public computers are not compromised they still store the information you input in the temporary internet files and history. Do not access any bank or credit card account, or pay bills from these computers. In general, computers located in the business centers of hotels and on cruise ships are safer to use than other public computers.
The bottom line is to always be vigilant when you travel. Have a safe and fun vacation!
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