The summer travel season means millions
of people are taking vacations to a variety of places around the
world. If you are among the many travelers bound for exotic locations,
you should make preventing identity theft a priority in your travel
planning. Over 10 million Americans have been the victims of identity
theft in the past 12 months. Taking appropriate safety precautions
will dramatically reduce your risks of becoming yet another victim
of identity theft.
When packing for your vacation, take only the items that you
need. Credit cards are a necessity, but leave your checkbook
and other identification, such as your social security card,
at home. It would be a good idea to use prepaid or stored value
credit cards instead of your regular, bank issued credit cards.
You will be able to plan your travel budget and if your cards
are stolen, thieves will not be able to access your account
and the card's issuers will be able to cancel the stolen cards
immediately and replace them with your full balance. Keep the
phone numbers of the card issuers with you at all times.
Never leave ATM receipts or receipts for purchases you have
made in the trash. Keep all your receipts in one location, out
of the reach of strangers. When passing through high traffic
areas such as theme parks and airports, be alert to your surroundings
and keep your credit cards and identification on your person.
If you take your laptop with you while traveling, make sure
it is password protected and kept in a safe location. Thieves
could potentially gain access to your personal financial information
if your laptop were to be stolen. Traveling is an adventure
that should leave you with fond memories, not make you the victim
of identity theft. Keep you belongings and identification safe
at all times and beware of compromising circumstances and prying
eyes.
