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identity theft

Protect Yourself From Identity Theft While Traveling

Traveling is exciting whether by yourself, with friends, or with family. However, traveling can also put your personal information at risk for theft. Safety measures can be utilized in order to ensure that you don’t become a victim of identity theft while you are on your adventure. Take the following precautions:

●Leave your social security card at home
If someone gains access to your social security number, they can use it for a multitude of things including opening credit lines. This is one of the most important pieces of information to keep safe and is best left at home if possible.

●Utilize hotel safes
Place anything that has personal information on it that you won’t need on an outing in the room safe. This way it isn’t on your person and reduces the risk of it being lost.

●Take only necessary forms of identity
If you aren’t traveling out of country, most likely you will only need your license or ID card. Keep your passport at home unless you absolutely need it for your adventure.

●Beware public internet access
Whether it’s public Wi-Fi or public computers available, keep off your financial institutions’ websites when using them. Hackers can easily gain usernames and passwords by you using these public options. It’s even suggested to not use social media when on these options. So maybe wait to upload all those pictures until you get home! If you do access personal accounts, change passwords as soon as you are on a secure service.

●Limit credit cards
This is another instance where less is better. Only carry one or two credit cards if possible. This way, if you do lose your wallet or purse, there are limited credit cards that someone else can use.You will also have less calls to make to freeze accounts if this occurs.

●Getting cash
Cash is nice to have on hand - no need to use your credit cards to pay for things. It may be best to get some from your bank before heading out of town. If you need more while you are away, make sure you scope out the ATMs for one that is monitored. This makes it less likely that someone will have modified the ATM to steal information.

Following the above precautions will make you less likely to be a target of identity theft, allowing you to enjoy your vacation and make lasting memories.