Be a Privacy-Smart Traveler

When you go on vacation, your risk of exposure to fraud and identity theft may increase. A few minutes of planning before you travel can help reduce the risk that a fraudster will ruin your vacation. Here are some tips to help you avoid any nasty surprises:

• Clean out your wallet. Remove unnecessary credit cards, your Social Security card, and other unneeded documents that could compromise your identity if lost or stolen while on vacation.  Make sure that you keep these documents in a secure and locked place at home.

• Photocopy or make a list of the remaining contents of your wallet. Keep it in a secure and locked location or with a trusted individual at home whom you can contact in case your wallet is lost or stolen.

• Do not leave your wallet, your passport, or any other documents containing personal information in your hotel room unattended. Use a hotel safe when available.

• Use traveler's checks or credit cards for payment. Leave your checkbook in a secure locked place at home.

• Use credit cards instead of debit cards. This reduces your vulnerability to having your checking account emptied while you are on vacation. See our February 2006 tip for more information: http://www.privacyrights.org/tips.htm

• Guard your credit card receipts and car rental agreements, particularly if they contain your full credit card number.

• If you plan on using an ATM card during your vacation, use one that does not have debit card privileges (one that always requires a PIN and does not contain a Visa or MasterCard logo on the front).  You can ask your bank to change an ATM/debit card to one that is "ATM only." Remember that any ATM card with a Visa or MasterCard logo on the front is really a debit card and can be used by a fraudster without a PIN.

• It's best to use ATM machines found at banks or credit unions and that are in well-lit areas.  Localities with high concentrations of tourists are more prone to ATM scams.

• Ask your Post Office or a trusted neighbor to hold your mail for you. Mail that is left in an unlocked mailbox is a goldmine for identity thieves.

• If you are bringing your laptop with you, be very careful when using it to access online banking or other password-protected services from wi-fi networks. (For example, read these tips: http://www.jiwire.com/wi-fi-security-traveler-hotspot-1.htm)

• If you are using public access Internet facilities rather than bringing your laptop with you, be aware that keyloggers (software that can track your keystrokes) may be tracking you. Some feel that public libraries are your best choice for safe Internet access.

Copyright © 2006. Privacy Rights Clearinghouse/UCAN. For distribution of this fact sheet, see our copyright and reprint guidelines. This copyrighted document may be copied and distributed for nonprofit, educational purposes only. The text of this document may not be altered without express authorization of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. This fact sheet should be used as an information source and not as legal advice. PRC fact sheets contain information about federal laws as well as some California-specific information. Laws in other states may vary. Overall, our fact sheets are applicable to consumers nationwide.

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, 3100 - 5th Ave., Suite B, San Diego, CA 92103. Web: www.privacyrights.org  Contact us: www.privacyrights.org/preinquiry.htm