Whether your job entails enough travel to have earned the “road warrior” title or you spend just a handful of days on the road each year, our tips below will help you stay safe when it comes to identity theft.
- Don’t share your flight information. Whatever you do, don’t share photos of your boarding pass on social media. You’ve likely seen people share photos of their boarding pass to gloat about their impending vacation. However, as our blogpost details, someone could use the information — the passenger name and E-ticket number — to access an astonishing amount of info, including the person’s frequent flyer number, entire itinerary, fare breakdown, date of purchase and the last four digits of the person’s credit card. Even if you cover key details for the photo but leave the barcode at the bottom exposed, you’re leaving yourself vulnerable as there are dozens of online barcode readers available that can provide much of the same aforementioned info based upon that code. Likewise, don’t share your travel plans on social media. It puts your home and office at increased risk of theft. This is why you should really wait to share your vacation photos after you return home. Plus cyber criminals use personal data like this to craft more realistic and therefore effective spear phishing scams against you and your colleagues.
- Set a passcode on your devices. Before you leave, make sure you’re using a 6-digit passcode on your device(s) and that you set it to lock automatically when not in use.
- Update your device and back it up before you leave. This way if the worst should happen — your device is stolen — you’ll still have your data in a safe place.
- Install and turn on Find My Device (Android) or Find My iPhone (iOS). These apps could help you locate your device if it’s lost or stolen. If need be, the apps can also let you erase your device remotely to keep your information from falling into the wrong hands.
- Don’t charge your phone in public ports. Perhaps you’re traveling and your phone or laptop’s battery is suddenly in the dreaded red zone. Have you ever looked for a public charging station to charge your devices? Next time, 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. Scary stuff!
- Use one credit card for all of your travel, and keep an eye on the transactions. Not only will this make your life easier when it comes time to figure out reimbursements (if it’s not a business-specific card), the damage will be contained to one card if the number is compromised. In light of how many fast casual restaurants (Chipotle, Arby’s, etc.) and hotel chains (1,000 InterContinental Hotel Group properties, including Holiday Inns, were breached) have been breached of late, this could save you some headaches and time down the line.
- 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. Case in point, Jerry Holmes and his wife, Margaret, who were at an Amsterdam train station, at the very start of their six-week European vacation, when a thief cut the thick leather strap to their shoulder bag and absconded with it. Inside the bag were the California couple’s life: photocopies of all their credit cards and passports, a booklet with an entire list of usernames and passwords for all banking and online accounts, medical insurance cards, laptop, camera, tablet and more. Thankfully, the Holmes had someone to call. Suzanne Ford, the lead restoration specialist for LibertyID, opened a case and was able to quickly place fraud alerts with the credit reporting agencies and start free credit monitoring. Thanks to the Limited Power of Attorney form, Suzanne worked directly with the creditors to establish verbal passwords for each of the potentially breached accounts, and reported the credit and bank credit cards as stolen and had new cards reissued with a delayed delivery date to coincide with the Holmes return date home. Suzanne ensured that over five financial institutions were contacted and notified of the breached credentials and that passwords were changed on accounts to stop additional fraud. “From the outset, Suzanne’s assistance has been professional, focused, empathetic and critical given our fears of identity theft,” Jerry said. “She immediately prioritized the steps needed to resolve the issue and assisted us each step of the way, including conference calls and using a limited power of attorney to preclude our having to attempt to mitigate the damage long distance. Her attention to detail and follow through have been flawless and exceeded our expectations. We feel we have an advocate looking out for us.”
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