As more of us are heading out on trips after extended stay-cations due to the pandemic, we need to remember how to keep our personal information private. The scammers are heading out, too, but they are not on vacation. They are working at getting your money and personal information.
Before your leave home, AARP suggests the following steps:
- Notify your credit card providers when and where you will be traveling. This lets the card issuer know where you are likely to be using your cards, so they can flag transactions in other places and not freeze your account when you are suddenly making charges in new locations.
- Stop your mail or have someone collect it for you. A stuffed mailbox advertises that you are not home, and the documents in it could be a treasure trove to criminals.
- Lighten your wallet. Pickpockets love tourists. Only take essentials, such as your driver’s license and two credit cards — one to carry, another to be locked in a hotel room safe in case your wallet is lifted. Never carry your Social Security card in your wallet either. Men, when traveling keep the lightened wallet in a buttoned breast pocket. Women, wear a handbag, with wide straps and locked clasps, diagonally across the chest — and don’t hang it over the door when you use a public bathroom.
- Don’t take your checkbook. You have credit cards, so use them.
- Consider a temporary credit freeze. A freeze denies access to your credit history, so crooks can’t open accounts in your name while you’re away, but it won’t affect the use of your credit card. It is probably not necessary unless you are taking a long trip.
- Carry a spare wallet with a few dollars and maybe some old hotel key cards. In a robbery, hand over the decoy wallet while keeping the real one. The money and plastic may be enough to satisfy the would-be robber, so you can safely get away.
Nolo also suggests the following while you are on the road:
- Use the hotel safe to store personal documents, such as your passport.
- Use credit cards instead of debit cards. If you are traveling you may not notice a problem for days or weeks, giving the bad guys plenty of time to drain your account.
- Wear a money pouch and use it to store your passport, credit card, and cash. Wear it close to your skin (preferably under your clothes) to make it harder to steal.
- Never let your laptop out of your sight. Watch it when you are using it in a public place and put it in the hotel safe when you are away from your room.
- Never access personal information, especially bank accounts, from public computers. Ask your hotel to recommend reputable Internet cafes or WiFi spots before you do any online connecting. Remember to erase your online history after using a computer.
- Use only ATM machines located inside banks. ATM machines in gas stations, convenience stores, and other places are not always safe.
Be wise and protect yourself when traveling by following these tips so that you come home with happy memories and not the headache and hassle of finding your finances or identity compromised.
