UPDATED: 2/20/18
As families around the country prepare for relaxing Spring Break vacations, it’s important to take precautions against identity theft, which could derail your family’s picture perfect vacation as ID theft criminals and fraudsters target parents and children.
Along with packing the sunscreen and beach hat, there is a slew of other items you should check off your list before leaving on vacation.
Before we share the checklist, we want to remind you that the use of social media, and the endless trail of photos and updates people often post while on vacation, can put your family at risk. This tells ID-theft criminals you’re away, which could lead to your home being burglarized. Turn off your location settings and consider delaying the posting of your vacation photos until you return home, especially if those photos contain geographical information (geotagging). And be sure and set your social media settings to the highest privacy settings available and don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know directly — that friend of a friend shouldn’t have access to your social media life.
Here’s a pre-vacation ID-theft checklist for you to share with family and friends:
- Put a hold on your U.S. Postal Service mail or arrange for your mail to be collected by a trusted family member or friend.
- Likewise, put your newspaper delivery on hold.
- Schedule an on-site house or apartment visit by a trusted family member or friend at least once while you’re away.
- Use just one credit card and one debit card to minimize risk.
- Password-protect your smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices.
- Pay cash at gas stations or use your credit/debit card inside to minimize the risk of credit/debit card skimming.
- Do not let your debit card out of your sight as unscrupulous servers can skim your card without your knowledge.
- Use caution with wireless Internet connections; most Wi-Fi networks are not secure.
- Keep your receipts and reconcile them with your credit and debit card statements.
- Never leave documents such as registration/insurance in the glove compartment when valet parking.
- Use hotel safes and/or room safes to secure valuables while you are outside your hotel room.
- Call your financial institution and credit card company to let them know the dates of your family vacation, as they will monitor your accounts for irregular activity and unauthorized transactions.
- Don’t charge your phone in public ports. Have you seen those public charging stations in the airport or your hotel room? Think twice before using one. Our blog post details how those outlets could be hacked and might be collecting information from your device as it charges, without you even knowing.
- Sign up for LibertyID before you travel. Just as you might sign up for roadside assistance coverage prior to a big road trip, you should sign up for LibertyID prior to any travel, be it personal or business. That way when your identity is stolen, you’ll have someone to call.
If you travel as part of your job, check out our blog post with additional tips to protect yourself and your company while doing so.
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