Summer Travel Creates Opportunities for Identity Theft

Summer travel is huge for many families including my own and sharing your trips with family and friends is easier than ever thanks to smart phones and the internet!   Being a social media fanatic and travel blogger I find myself sharing photo and checking in to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare at every locale, often finding rewards and discounts for food and fun.  What I tend to forget is that many of my accounts are public information, and while my posts do help market for brands, they are also an invitation for identity thieves.

Is there a happy medium for me and other bloggers who take all our electronics with us each trip to document each step of the way?  Are you heading to BlogHer ’12?  Take into consideration the followingLifelock advice for travelers who want to avoid becoming victims of identity theft:

GOLD, SILVER AND BRONZE: During this summer’s international games in London, the potential for identity theft related scams could be heightened as travelers look to cross the Atlantic to support Team USA. Identity thieves can pose as trusted sources offering you the “deal of the century” if you just follow their link. Verify all offers by opening a new Web browser and typing in the Web address that you trust to confirm the authenticity of the offer.

LEAVE FACEBOOK AT HOME: Before departing and during your travels, consider avoiding Facebook status updates. By posting your travel plans, you are announcing to all of your friends (and even the world if your page isn’t marked to private) that you are away from home, leaving your unattended home vulnerable to invasion. Many Facebook users include their home address, mobile phone, home phone and other pieces of valuable personally identifiable information wide open for potential thieves. Consider posting your updates once you return home.

WORRIED ABOUT WI-FI?: Relax. Vacation is a time to relax so leave the laptop, tablet or smartphone at home. If you MUST take it with you, ensure that you have updated your passwords/pass-phrases and that you are not connecting to the Internet via free Wi-Fi connections. These free connections are not secure and can make the data you are transmitting (user names/passwords for accounts like Facebook, payment information for excursions) open for the right identity thief to capture.  Paige Hanson, manager of educational programs at LifeLock, has one answer for travelers who can’t live without their devices, “Get a wireless card.” This will ensure a secure Web connection.”

4 C’s, Call your Credit Card Companies: Contact your credit card companies and your banks to let them know you will be traveling. Because you may be going out of state or leaving the country, the credit card company could assume that your card has been compromised and turn off access to that card. Take only what you need with you and consider leaving your retail credit cards at home.

TAG YOUR BAGS SMARTLY: When traveling by train or plane, tag your luggage smartly. Do not put your home address or the address to which you are traveling on your luggage tag. By providing your home address, you could direct thieves to your empty home. Instead, list a mobile phone number on your tag. This will allow airport officials to contact you when your luggage arrives.

Thanks to these tips as well as my Lifelock family membership, I feel protected.

I’m a Lifelock Ambassador and am compensated for my participation.  All opinions are my own.