Disclosure: LifeLock chose me to be a brand ambassador for their services and review their product offerings. Opinions are 100% mine. #LifeLockSafety
I have been really enjoying some of the travelling I have done over the last year. With trips from LA to NYC, I have been able to relax and enjoy some of life’s beauties. One of the reasons I have been able to relax about travelling more, that I have started to proactively protect my family. I have installed a well designed security system for my home and have visited with my insurance agent about my assets. Why you may ask! After the first time travelling away from my family, I felt uncomfortable and that I had left my family vulnerable to unwanted guest. So as the Father/Man of the house I know it is my job to protect my household. So I took action.
Protect Your Identity
I also took the liberty to protect family from invaders that may try to steal my identity. So, I invested in the LifeLock Ultimate service for the ultimate in peace of mind. This way I am covered with the most comprehensive identity theft protection service available which includes monitoring of bank accounts for takeover fraud. I also get unlimited online access to my annual credit reports, a monthly credit score tracker and priority access to an award-winning customer services.
Another feature I love about LifeLock are the tips and tricks to protect your identity. The most recent one I read was on “Avoid Identity Theft While Traveling”. This opened my eyes to all the different ways crooks could work their way into ruining my life.
10 Ways to Avoid Identity Theft While Traveling
1. Call Your Bank and Credit Card Companies Corporate Travel Safety, an online seller of travel security and safety products, suggests you tell your credit card companies when and where you are going to be traveling. “Most institutions are happy to monitor your accounts, as they do not want to be liable for any stolen sums,” the company advises.
2. Stop Mail Having a neighbor collect your mail isn’t safe enough, according to Corporate Travel Safety. Visit your local post office and put a stop on your mail—which could include Social Security statements, pay stubs, credit card statements and many other sensitive documents—until you return.
3. Clean Out Your Wallet Leave at home wallet contents that are not absolutely necessary, including cards with Social Security numbers on them.
4. Pay Your Bills Before You Leave You may think it might be nice to catch up with bills in your hotel room, but don’t do it. There are many people who have access to your room and the personal information on those bills.
5. Don’t Tell The World You’re Traveling Social networking sites can leave you vulnerable to unscrupulous acquaintances of people you know, so don’t announce that you’re leaving home for an extended time, and save posting those great photos of you on the beach until you’re back home.
6. Carry On When you travel, you usually need sensitive documents, such as a passport, tickets and itinerary, traveler’s checks, a driver’s license, reservation information, travel insurance details and credit cards, points out the US Travel Insurance Association. What’s the safest place to carry these? On your person using a security belt.
A carry-on bag and purse don’t offer as much security because you don’t always have them under your control, says USTIA. “The point is that your carry-on is often physically separated from you, and that means it is less safe for storing anything you really can’t afford to lose.”7. Use the Hotel Safe When you can’t carry everything with you, store your passport, tickets, excess cash and credit cards in the hotel safe. Do not leave ID-related documents loose in your room while you’re out.
8. Credit Card Control
- Be aware when using an ATM. Use an inside machine whenever possible.
- Avoid using your credit card number on public computers unless you are sure it’s a secure site and your information is removed before the session ends.
- Watch credit card transactions completely to notice if anyone is writing down your number or photographing your card.
- Never provide your credit card number over the phone, even to hotel staff members. Instead, go to the front desk and ask for a valid reason why it’s needed.
9. Use RFID Protection Many credit cards have radio frequency identification (RFID) chips embedded in them, which makes using them easier—and stealing them easier too, according to Corporate Travel Safety. High-tech scammers can retrieve that information and use it for fraudulent activities. Consider using an RFID-protecting wallet, handbag or case.
10. Act Fast If you do lose any important documents, report it immediately. Contact your credit card companies to cancel the cards, and alert credit reporting agencies. If your driver’s license goes missing, file a report with local police.
“The U.S. Transportation Security Administration and airline representatives stress the importance of this step, which creates a paper trail and pinpoints the loss at a specific time and place,” according to Fodors.com.
I found most of the information above very useful, of all “cleaning out my wallet” and “don’t tell the world you’re leaving”. I find myself collect receipts that have valuable credit card info or personal notes in my wallet. And, with social media these day, everyone wants to share where they are going, so that is going to be hard.
If you are looking to protect your self or your whole family, please take a look at the LifeLock services, and consider the applying for the Ultimate plan. For a 10% off use the promo code “LifeLockSafety“.
