Traveling Tips to Prevent Identity Theft

Establishing good credit is important to you – and you’ve worked hard to keep your credit in good standing.  You pay your bills on time, your credit cards are below the limits, and you make responsible saving and spending decisions.  Identity theft is the last thing you want to worry about ruining all of your hard work!

But there are some simple things that you can do before you leave and while you travel that will help prevent all of your hard work going up in smoke.

Before You Leave

• Consider signing up for a credit monitoring or identity theft protection product.  Many services will send you alerts by mail, email, or even text message to alert you to changes in your credit accounts.  This may include a new credit application, a request for increased credit, or even a change of address request.  Additionally, most of these services can assist you in the even that your wallet is lost or stolen while you are on the road.
• Clean out your wallet before you leave home.  Unless it is absolutely necessary, do not carry your Social Security card with you when you travel.  Be sure that you remove any credit or debit cards that you do not need with you – try to limit yourself to a total of 2 credit cards.
• If you health insurance card has your Social Security number on it, make a copy of the card.  That way you can black out all but the last 4 digits of the number and carry the copy with you, rather than the original.  If you need medical treatment while on the road, you can provide the complete number to the hospital or clinic when you check in.  Most insurance companies can verify your record with just your last name and the last 4 digits of your social security number – but 4 digits of your social security number do not help identity thieves!
• Halt newspaper delivery and other automatic deliveries that would pile up in front of your house.  Things like bottled water delivery and stacks of newspapers can alert both delivery drivers and passers-by that no one is in your home.
• Ask the post office to hold your mail.  Request a “postal hold” rather than a “vacation hold”.  This avoids alerting postal staff and anyone who can overhear, that you will be gone.
• If your neighborhood has a volunteer patrol, or community watch committee, as them to do a courtesy check on your home while you are gone.  Be specific and ask for one daytime and one “after dark” check, if possible.

While You are On the Road

• If you stay in a hotel, consider locking valuables up in a hotel safe – if there is no in-room safe, ask the front desk staff about the availability of the hotel’s safe.  Items like laptops, PDAs, jewelry, passports, and documents that contain your personal information can be tempting to people who can see into your room while it is being cleaned.
• Be aware that you are more likely to encounter pickpockets in high traffic areas that attract a large volume of tourists and travelers.  Pickpockets are rarely interested in your cash. Be careful to store items like your ID, driver’s license, passport, checks, and credit cards in inside pockets, front pants pockets, or travel pouches that can be worn inside your clothing.
• Be mindful of your surroundings!  Identity thieves may look over your shoulder to snatch your identifying information without physically taking anything!  Do not leave credit cards out on a restaurant table or bar any longer than necessary.  Use caution when talking on your cell phone or carrying on conversations about sensitive information while you are in crowded or public areas.
• Store copies of your travel documents in a safe place, separate from the originals.  This includes plane tickets, hotel reservations and passports.
• Keep the “Lost or Stolen” phone number from the back of your credit or debit cards in a safe place, separate from the cards.  Once the cards are stolen, it’s too late to get the phone number.  This could cause additional delays in canceling stolen or lost cards, and could cost you additional time and money to resolve any unauthorized charges.
• When possible, use credit cards rather than debit cards when traveling.  A debit card gives thieves a direct line to your bank account.  When the debit card is used to make a “credit” purchase, no PIN is required to complete the transaction.  Also, reinstating your credit line so that you can comfortably complete your travel plans without interruption, can be much simpler than restoring cash funds to your debit account.

Most importantly, if you suspect anything may be compromised, be sure to contact the proper authorities or institution immediately!  If you stop any potential problems in advance, you will be able to relax and enjoy the rest of your trip.