Protect Your Identity when Traveling
While vacationing this summer, here are a few simple reminders to keep your vacation free from identity theft.

1. If staying in a hotel, lock your valuables in a safe.
2. Leave a copy of your passport with a trusted friend or family member at home if you are traveling abroad.
3. Do not store all of your money in one place. For example, keep some credit cards, traveler's checks or cash in your wallet or purse and store the rest in the hotel safe or a locked suitcase.
4. Before you leave, inform your bank and credit card companies that you will be traveling. If you can, give the dates and destinations. Most institutions will be happy to monitor your accounts because they don’t want to be liable for any stolen sums.
5. If possible, only use a pin-based ATM card instead of a credit or debit card that can be used without a pin. This way if your card is compromised, it is worthless to the criminal.
6. Leave your check book and extra credit cards at home. Use cash, one credit card or pin based ATM card, or travelers checks to lower your risk of ID theft. Lock up all of your sensitive information that you do leave in your home.
7. Have someone that you trust check your mail while you are gone. It could contain sensitive information.
8. Pay your bills before you leave home. Don’t take your bills with you, hotels are not a safe place to leave things like this laying around. Bills contain personal information that could be used to steal your identity.
9. Shred your bills. It is always best to shred your bills rather than just tossing them in the trash. Criminals will dig through your garbage to steal your information.
10. Don’t leave personal information in your rental car. Rental cars are easy targets for criminals.
11. If you take your laptop, make sure you have updated your antivirus and anti spyware software. If you have to use a publicly available internet connection, do not access your personal accounts. Unsecured Internet connections are a haven for ID thieves.
12. Be aware of “hovering” people. Cell phone cameras are populpar methods for thieves to photograph your personal information.
13. Your PDA, cell phone and laptop all have personal information in them and it only takes a second for them to be stolen, so be careful and watch out for your valuables!

These are just a few tips. We offer Identity Theft protection with our Next Generation Homeowners Policies. Call us today to see how we can start protecting you ASAP! 702-254-7774