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Travel Agents
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Tips for travelers to thwart identity thieves
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(ARA) - You're not the only one looking forward to your vacation or
business trip. Identity thieves relish your travel time too, because
your vital, personally identifying information may be more exposed when
you're traveling than when you're at home or work.
You work hard to establish good credit, and have built a reputation for
paying your bills on time and making responsible investing, saving and
spending decisions. Yet one overflowing mailbox or a stack of
uncollected newspapers on your front step can help unravel all your
efforts; they're a red flag to thieves that you're away from home.
Before you head to the airport or start out on your long road trip,
take some precautions to safeguard
against identity theft - even when you're not at home.
Before you leave
* Consider signing up for an identity
theft protection product like ProtectMyID.com, a part of
Experian. You'll receive alerts by mail, e-mail or text message
whenever a key change is made to your credit accounts, like a new
credit application. You'll also be informed if a change of address
action is initiated, a popular method for thieves to have bills
rerouted from your home to keep you in the dark about the theft.
Additionally, if your wallet is lost or stolen while you're on
vacation, ProtectMyID.com's fraud resolution agents can help you
resolve identity theft issues. Learn more about protecting your
identity while you travel by visiting www.ProtectMyID.com.
Below, you'll find useful tips to help you stay secure while traveling.
* Ask the post office to hold mail delivery until you return. Request a
"postal hold" rather than a "vacation hold" to avoid alerting postal
clerks that you will be gone.
* Halt newspaper delivery and any other automatic deliveries, like
bottled water.
* Clean out your wallet. Lock up your Social Security card instead of
carrying it with you, and remove credit cards you don't need; carry
only essential identification (a passport or driver's license) and one
or two credit cards. If your health insurance card has your SSN on it,
make a photocopy of the card, black out all but the last four digits of
the number, and carry that with you instead of the original.
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* If your neighborhood has a Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol (RSVP),
contact them and ask for a courtesy check of your home while you're
gone.
* Even if you have a housesitter coming in or a neighbor with a key
who'll check the place while you're gone, lock up important personal
documents like birth certificates and Social Security cards.
While on the road
* Store valuables in room safes if your hotel offers them, or in the
hotel's safe if in-room ones are not available. Lock up items like
laptops, PDAs, jewelry, passports and documents that contain your
personal information.
* Be aware that pickpockets frequent high traffic areas that attract a
lot of travelers. They're rarely interested in your cash. They want
your SSN, checks and driver's license. Don't carry checks or your
Social Security card, and store important pieces of ID, like your
passport and driver's license, in a fanny pack or travel pouch worn
inside your clothing.
* Remember when you're out and about on your trip - at the airport, in
a restaurant, visiting attractions - that you're in public. ID thieves
may look over your shoulder to snatch identifying information, or
listen in on your cell phone conversation. Caution and discretion in
public can help protect
against identity theft.
* Carry photocopies of all your travel documents, including plane
tickets, hotel reservations and passports. Keep them separate from the
originals.
* Use credit cards while traveling, rather than debit cards. A debit
card gives thieves a direct line to your bank account and, when used to
make a "credit" purchase with a signature, don't require the user to
enter a PIN. Also, beware of fake ATM machines, which are known to be
placed in high traffic tourist areas.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
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