By David T Hindman
Travelers can be easy targets for identity theft, with empty houses, unattended hotel rooms and crowded tourist areas. Follow these helpful hints to prevent any suspicious activities while on vacation.
1. Pay your bills before you leave for vacation. Don't bring them with you on your trip. Bills left lying in a hotel room are easy targets for identity thieves. It is always a good idea to travel with as few personal documents as possible, and bills are something that you can easily take care of before any extended absence from home.
2. Hold mail and newspaper delivery. A pile of newspapers on your stoop alerts thieves that no one is home. Any unattended mail, including bills and credit card offers, contains all the information needed for something bad to happen.
3. Lock your checkbook and unnecessary credit cards in a safe at home. The less personal information you take with you on a trip, the less information thieves can steal. Keep everything locked up at home - a robber or a house sitter could commit identity theft too.
4. Carry credit cards and other personal documents with you on the plane. Do not leave these items in checked luggage, even in a locked suitcase. Keep them safely with you at all times. Lost luggage happens every day and can often take several days to be returned to you.
5. Bring a copy of important documents and store them in a separate place. If identity theft does occur, you'll want to have a copy of documents like your passport.
6. Use ATM machines in banks. One common threat while traveling is fake ATM machines placed in common tourist areas. Avoid the risk and withdraw your money at a bank.
7. Use credit cards instead of ATM or debit cards. Credit cards may offer better identity theft protection. It is often much easier to remove fraudulent charges from a credit card than an ATM or debit card.
8. Lock items in a hotel safe. Personal documents and other valuable can be stolen while you are out. Be especially careful with computers. Criminals can access your personal information on an unattended laptop. Since your computer has not been stolen, you may never know that anything has occurred.
9. Be aware for pickpockets and purse snatchers. Thieves frequent tourist areas, and they are not always after your money. They may be looking for useful information.
10. Report stolen cards immediately. Have a list of the cards you brought with you readily available so that you can report the information stolen. You'll also want to set up fraud alerts with the credit bureaus.
Of course, even if you take all of these precautions, identity theft may still occur, ruining your vacation and causing more problems once you return home. It's a good idea to purchase a prevention service before traveling. You only have to make one call if your wallet or purse is stolen, and their team will take care of the rest. Plus, they monitor your identity for threats, alerting you if there is a problem. They'll even take financial responsibility for getting your good name back should something happen.
If you are concerned about falling victim to identity theft while traveling you should take every precaution you can to make sure it doesn't happen. You might find David Hindman's identity protection blog to be of interest. Visit his Defend My Identity Blog to learn more.
