06/11/2014 By: Mark Pribish, Special for The Arizona Republic, June 5, 2014, used by permission of the author Just as pickpockets take full advantage
during vacation season, identity-theft criminals are at it, too, capitalizing
on the transactions and the personal information that business travelers and
vacationers create while they travel. Look at it this way, it's hunting
season for ID-theft criminals — they know many unsuspecting travelers will be
ripe targets. They want to steal your personally identifiable information, such
as your credit card, debit card, passport, driver's license and frequent-flier
and hotel-guest program numbers. It is critical to take safeguards to
protect yourself and your fellow travelers, including the personal information
of your children. Let's talk awareness and prevention.
For starters, do not announce to the world via social media when you are
leaving town, where you are going and what you will be doing. You are enabling
ID-theft criminals through social media by telling them who, what, when and
where. That happy vacation announcement to friends adds up to intelligence for
ID-theft criminals. You might be telling the ID-theft criminals the best time
and means to victimize you. Turn off your location settings and
delay the posting of your business or vacation photos until your return home,
especially if those photos contain geographical information (geotagging). Here's my 12-point ID-theft vacation
and business checklist for before, during and after your travel to help you
avoid or mitigate the nightmare of becoming an ID-theft victim: • U.S. Postal Service. Put mail service
on hold and/or arrange for your mail to be collected by someone trusted the
entire time you are away. • Newspaper deliveries. Should be put
on hold and/or designated for charity. • On-site house or apartment check. Ask
a trusted family member or friend to check the property regularly until you
return. • Password-protect your smartphones,
laptops, tablets, etc. • Call your financial institution and
credit-card companies to let them know the dates of your business trip or
family vacation as they will monitor your accounts for unauthorized
transactions. • When traveling, use just one credit
card and one debit card to minimize risk. • Pay cash when you get gas to minimize
the risk of card skimming at the pump. The problem is prevalent at gas stations
throughout the U.S. • Do not let your debit card out of
your sight. An unscrupulous waiter or waitress can swipe your card without your
knowledge for fraudulent use. • Use caution with wireless Internet
connections. Most Wi-Fi networks are not secure, and sensitive information can
be intercepted unless effectively encrypted. • Never leave your documents, including
registration and insurance, in your vehicle, especially when valet parking. • Use hotel safes and/or room safes to
secure valuables. • Keep all receipts and reconcile them
with your card statements after travel. Mark's most
important: As identity thieves
are ramping up for the vacation season, you need to ramp up your prevention
efforts. Mark Pribish is vice president and
ID-theft practice leader at Merchants Information Solutions Inc., a national
ID-theft and background-screening provider based in Phoenix.
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