Summer is here. That means school is out, the heat is rising, and it’s vacation time. Summer vacation is the bright spot in the middle of the year. It’s a time to cut loose, enjoy family and friends, and relax. Vacationers are not usually thinking about identity theft.
Unfortunately, criminals are always thinking of ways to steal your identity. Reported instances of vacation identity theft are rising steadily each year. Identity thieves love the summer months because you let your guard down, which means an open door for the criminal to gather the information needed to steal your identity.
Your personal information, credit and debit accounts, driver’s license, and other identifying information are the target. If you aren’t careful, your vacation could turn into a detour of unknown financial horror. When identity theft happens, it could take years to recover from your vacation.
Whether travelling on business or for pleasure, it’s essential that you take steps to reduce the possibility of identity theft, both before you leave and once you arrive at your destination. The steps are deceptively simple, but don’t let simplicity fool you. Sometimes it’s the small things that foil identity thieves.
Before Your Vacation
Even before you leave for your vacation you should be actively preparing to protect yourself and taking precautions against identity theft. Even taking a few precautions before you turn you back on the world for a few days will help prevent identity theft. This list reflects some of the steps you should take before you pack your bags.
- Call your bank and credit card companies to let them know you’re going to be traveling. Be sure they know where you will be and the dates you will be away. Most financial institutions will help monitor your accounts for unauthorized transactions in other locations during this time, because it reduce their liability if a criminal gains access to your accounts.
- If you plan on using an ATM to access cash while you are away, plan to use a pin-based ATM card only. Check cards and debit cards that allow you to access your bank account through an ATM can also be used to make purchases, usually without a pin. If that’s the kind of card you’re using, ask your financial institution to issue an ATM only card that can’t be used anywhere other than the ATM and then only with the correct pin number.
- Don’t carry more than you need. Leave your checkbook and extra credit cards at home. As a general rule, when you’re on vacation, you should use only cash, one credit card or traveler’s checks. Everything else should be locked in a safe or a safety deposit box until you return.
- Pay any bills that may come due before you leave. Hotels are a major threat to your identity. Many people assume that a hotel room is a safe place to leave documents and papers, but it’s not. Hotel rooms are much easier to access than you might realize. Set your bills up for automatic payment, ask a friend to pay them, or pay them in advance. But don’t take anything with your account numbers and personally identifying information with you. And if you do, don’t leave it unattended in a hotel room.
- Reduce what you carry. Your wallet or purse is another dangerous point of threat. Think about all that you carry with you. Now, imagine that an identity thief gets their hands on it. Scary, huh? Leave extra credit cards, social security cards and anything that might have personal information on it at home and make copies of everything else as a backup in case the unthinkable happens.
- Don’t leave your home unattended. Mail sitting in your mail box and newspapers piling up on the porch are a sure sign that no one is home. Identity thieves watch for opportunities to grab information, and your vacation is their perfect opportunity. Ask someone you trust to pick up your mail and news papers, preferably as soon as they’re delivered, and ask them to turn on lights in different areas of your house each night. You can also have your mail and newspapers put on hold until you return if there’s no one you trust enough to give them access to your house.
- If you plan to take your computer on vacation with you, shame on you! You’re supposed to be relaxing. If you do have to take it though, take the time to update your anti-spyware and anti-virus programs before you leave. You’ll be connecting to the Internet through connections that aren’t necessarily secure, so you want to be as protected as possible.
