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.
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