How To Protect Yourself from Identity Theft When You Travel
Identity theft protection usually isn't priority one on the pre-travel checklist of anyone. But by taking some simple steps, you can help protect yourself from the fastest growing crime in the United States. You may not realize it, but traveling can expose you to an greater risk of identity theft compared to what you face at home.
Identity Theft Prevention Steps - Prior To Leaving
- If you plan on being gone for an extended period of time, check your credit report as a precaution. The longer identity theft goes undetected, the more damage can be done.
- Safeguard your mail. Identity thieves prey on financial statements that come through the mail. Make arrangements for the post office, or a trusted friend/neighbor to hold your mail until you return.
- Lighten the load. Only carry the credit cards and debit cards that you will need for your trip. Safely secure your other documents at home or in the bank. Carrying financial documents and credit cards that you don't need only heightens the risk of you becoming a victim.
- Take the precaution of signing up with a credit card registry service. For only a few dollars you can register all of your credit and debit cards. Now if your purse or wallet gets lost or stolen, you can cancel all of your cards with one, simple phone call.
Identity Theft Prevention Steps - While Traveling
- Keep an eye out for "shoulder surfers". Shoulder surfers look over you shoulder while you enter passwords and PIN numbers at ATM machines, stores and restaurants.
- Protect or destroy receipts, or any other documents, including carbon paper, that has your credit card number imprinted on it.
- Use the hotel safe to store passports, extra cash, or anything else that you will not readily need. Do NOT assume that your hotel room is a safe place to store these things.
Identity Theft Prevention Steps - Returning Home
- Make sure you check all of your bank and credit card statements to be sure that no suspicious or fraudulent activity has occurred. You may even find that the hotel has overbilled you and can dispute the charges.
- Once again, order a new credit report if you were gone for an extended period of time. A credit monitoring service may be better yet. They will monitor your credit reports for you and report any new activity, be it suspicious or not.
Identity theft has been the fastest growing crime in America 5 years running. And with the bad guys becoming increasingly more sophisticated, it doesn't look like it's going to slow down anytime soon either. While it may be a bit of a hassle to perform some of the identity theft prevention measures described above, they are well worth it when compared with what you will go through if you fall prey to identity theft.
