How to Help Protect Your Identity on Vacation
When you’re on vacation, identity theft is the last thing you want to worry about. Fortunately, with a little bit of planning and a healthy dose of caution, you can help protect your personal information and focus on enjoying your trip.
Before Leaving
Put your mail on hold
Letting your mail pile up while you’re on vacation is a good way to let would-be identity thieves know you’re out of town. To help prevent mail theft, be sure to request a hold on your mail before you leave. The process is free and only requires a few simple steps. Just log into your USPS.com account, then follow the instructions to submit a Hold Mail Request and verify your identity. You can make the request up to 30 days in advance or as early as the next scheduled delivery date, and the hold period can extend up to 30 days.
Avoid sharing your travel plans online
While it may be tempting to share the details of an upcoming vacation to your blog or social media, it’s probably more prudent to wait until after you’ve returned. Posting about your travel plans could alert potential identity thieves to your absence, especially if your social media profiles aren't set to private.
Let credit card/banks know about your trip
One group you should inform about your upcoming trip is your financial institutions. Contact your bank(s) and credit card companies before you leave to give notice of your travel plans. Letting them know where and when you’re traveling may help you avoid setting off fraud detection alerts while you’re away, which could otherwise freeze you out of your account.
Clean out your wallet
The possibility of your wallet getting lost or stolen on your trip is bad enough without worrying about identity theft too. To help reduce the risk of exposing your personal information, clean out any non-essential items from your wallet before you go. The fewer cards, receipts, and ticket stubs with your personal info on them, the better.
Secure devices with passcodes
It’s always a good idea to use strong passcodes on your devices, but even more so when you’re setting out on a big trip. If your devices are lost or stolen, good password hygiene could help reduce the chances of identity thieves getting access to your personal information.
Create password protected PDFs
Travel documents like booking confirmations and itineraries tend to contain a lot of sensitive information. To help reduce the risk of identity theft on your trip, scan any documents containing personal info, financial details, or travel info and save them as a password protected PDF. The Department of Customs and Border Protection offers a handy guide on how to create password protected PDFs.
Make photocopies of your ID and travel documents
If for some reason you can’t access your password protected PDF, or you don’t feel comfortable creating one, it’s a good idea to have a few photocopies of your important documents as backup. Carry one copy with you and leave a copy each with a friend or relative who can send it to you if the need arises. If you lose your original ID or passport, having a copy could help you get a new one in less time — or even get you on the plane home.
Remember to carry a copy or back up of your:
Passport or ID card
Visa
Travel insurance
Health information
Credit cards
Travel itinerary
Airline tickets
Hotel or lodging reservation confirmations
Car rental reservation confirmation
Vaccination certificates
Any other pre-paid confirmations
Set up identity theft monitoring service
For even more peace of mind on your trip, consider enrolling with an identity theft monitoring service. Companies like PrivacyGuard help monitor personal information like your name, date of birth, Social Security number, and bank account details for changes or inaccuracies. PrivacyGuard also offers benefits like Lost & Stolen Wallet Protection* and Emergency Travel Assistance2, which could come in handy in a pinch abroad.
Update devices
Before you leave, it’s a good idea to make sure the software on your devices is completely up to date, including security software, operating systems, and internet browsers and apps. Updating your software can help keep your device more secure against potential cyber threats, and taking the time to do it on a trusted Wi-Fi network before setting out on your trip may help you minimize your exposure to unsecured networks.
While Traveling
Avoid ATMs in remote locations
You might think the only thing to worry about when using an ATM is a stranger hovering over your shoulder, but identity thieves have gotten more sophisticated than relying on shoulder surfing alone. Freestanding ATMS, especially in remote locations, are more likely to be outfitted with credit card skimmers, electronic devices designed to steal your credit card number when you scan or swipe.
Identity thieves often attempt to make credit card skimmers blend in with the ATM card reader, so they may be hard to spot. To be safe, avoid freestanding ATMs and look for ones in financial institutions, which are more likely to have security cameras to deter would-be thieves.
Guard your boarding pass (or use a mobile ticket)
Like other sensitive travel documents, boarding passes contain personal information that could leave you more vulnerable to identity theft if lost or stolen. To help protect your identity, keep a close eye on your physical boarding pass or opt for a mobile boarding pass instead.
Don’t share your whereabouts
If posting about your dream trip before you leave is tempting, posting while you’re on it is even more so. But if you want to help reduce your risk of identity theft, it’s best to resist the urge. Turn off the geo-tagging feature on social media and wait to post your beach selfies and stunning vacation pics until you get home.
Be weary of pickpocketing
If you’re not careful, a pickpocket could rob you twice: first, by taking your stuff; second, by stealing your identity. Guard your wallet, sensitive travel documents, and other valuables carefully. Keep your valuable personal information out of open bags that can be easily reached into and opt to keep them in a zippered bag instead. It may even be a good idea to carry each of these valuable items in separate bags. That way, if one gets stolen, you haven’t lost everything at once.
Lock up your valuables
Another way to foil pickpockets: don’t carry valuables on your person. Secure important items and papers in the safe in your hotel room and only carry what you absolutely need.
Avoid public computers and Wi-Fi
Public computers and Wi-Fi networks may seem convenient when you need fast access to the internet, but they can also increase your risk of identity theft. Cybercriminals may try to access your personal information by using a public computer after you or monitoring your online activity via an unsecured network.
To help keep your personal information safe, avoid public computers and Wi-Fi networks as much as possible. If you do use a public computer, make sure to clear your browser history and cache before you leave; if you connect to an unsecured Wi-Fi network, avoid any online activity that could expose your personal information, especially banking or credit card details. Better yet, consider using a VPN.
Avoid entering sensitive information in a crowded area
Shoulder surfing (or screen peeping) is a tried-and-true method for identity thieves looking to steal personal information. If you don’t want details like your credit card number, bank account info, passwords, or Social Security number to be exposed to prying eyes, avoid entering that information in public — that includes both crowded areas and Wi-Fi networks.
After You Return
Shred boarding passes and sensitive documents
When you get home, make sure to safely dispose of sensitive travel documents. That includes boarding passes, travel itineraries, reservation confirmations, and anything else with personal information you don’t want exposed.
Check your bank/credit card account accounts or statements
Review your financial statements. If you suspect any of the charges to be fraudulent, contact your bank and credit card issuers to request that they cancel the charges and restore the missing funds to your account immediately. You should also contact the three major credit bureaus to dispute the information and request that they remove it and place a fraud alert on your account.
Check your credit report
Lastly, review your credit report, either on your own or with the help of a service like PrivacyGuard. PrivacyGuard offers Monthly Triple-Bureau Credit Reports and Scores3 to help you monitor your credit and provides emails and text alerts about any changes or inaccuracies. PrivacyGuard also has industry leading fraud specialists that can help you navigate an identity theft incident4.
Shredding travel documents and other sensitive papers can help protect your identity. To learn more about why and how, check out Identity theft: how shredding sensitive documents helps protect your personal info.
What next?
Watching out for identity theft can feel like a full-time job — but you don’t have to do it alone. Sign up for identity protection from PrivacyGuard for help monitoring changes in your personal information.
* If you discover that your credit cards are missing, PrivacyGuard can help. Our specialists will notify your credit card issuers, cancel your lost or stolen cards, and request that replacements be issued promptly. Some financial institutions may require you to call them directly and will not accept notification from third parties in which case we will contact you so that you can call your financial institution directly.
2 PrivacyGuard member must be at least 100 miles from home and have available credit on a designated bank card. Emergency cash Is charged as cash advance, and emergency airline tickets are charged as a purchase to your credit card account and both are subject to that account's finance rates.
3 Your VantageScore credit score(s) are provided by VantageScore Solutions LLC. The VantageScore model, with scores ranging from 300 to 850, was developed jointly by the three major national credit reporting agencies - Experian®, TransUnion®, and Equifax®. The version of VantageScore provided here is used by some, but not all, lenders. Your score(s) may not be identical or similar to scores received directly from those agencies, from other sources, or from your lender. Trilegiant Corporation, Trilegiant Insurance Services, Inc., Alliance Marketing Association and their credit information subcontractors shall not have any liability for the accuracy of the information contained in the credit reports, credit scores, Credit Alerts® reports or other reports which you receive in connection with the PrivacyGuard service, including any liability for damages, direct or indirect, consequential or incidental.
4 With PrivacyGuard, you have access to your own Personal Resolution Expert, just in case the unthinkable happens and you become a victim of identity theft. Your dedicated expert will work with you step-by-step in restoring your identity.