Most people would agree that summer is the best time of the year. You get to go on a vacation, visit your friends or relatives or go to some exotic place you always dreamed about.But sometimes people simply forget to take all the necessary precautions so for many a dream vacation can turn in to a real nightmare. Here are a few tips that can help you avoid identity thefts during your vacations and trips.
What to do before you leave:
• Be quiet about your trip – You should never announce your trip on social media especially if you have an open profile. Not all of your acquaintances should know you’ll be away for some time, so try not to brag about it and post your vacation photos after you come back not during your trip.• Don’t check in with social apps – Same rule applies as for social networks. If you decided not to tell everyone you’re going away for a week there’s no point of announcing your location through social apps.
• Use geo-location applications - Many of the latest mobile devices feature an integrated GPS that identifies its geographic location with precision. Thus with help of such apps like GPS handyortung you can prevent the loss of your smartphone.
• Update your software before leaving – When you go on a trip you will often get in a situation to use an open Wi-Fi network and share your bandwidth with people that might use a fake software update announcements to lure you into downloading malicious apps and take control of your computer or phone. Always update through secure networks.
• Encrypt all important data – It’s important to secure all your personal and important data on your computer or your phone since the use of open networks can make your device vulnerable. Encrypt all folders that contain sensitive information.
 |
| Image by: Keith Williamson |
• Hide your documents – Even though a chance of someone breaking in your house are small it’s wise to hide or lock all the important documents you keep at home. This is not difficult to do and it can save you a lot of time and trouble in case you do get robbed.
• Hold your mail – While you’re on vacation your mailbox might become full of mail. This is not just a clear sign to every thief that your house is empty but it could also be a great source of personal information that someone can use to steal your identity.
• Use only necessary cards – Leaving all the cards you won’t use on your trip at home could save you from a big headache in case you lose your wallet or if someone steals it. Replacing all your cards can be really annoying, plus there’s a smaller risk of identity theft.
• Don’t leave important docs in checking luggage – Luggage you check in will be out of your sight for some time and handled by who knows how many people so it’s not wise to leave important docs with strangers.
What to do while on the road
• Tear up boarding passes - If you’re unable to use a mobile boarding pass be sure to tear up the one you use once you get to your destination because it contains a lot of your personal data.
• Use credit and not debit cards – Using a credit card you will access only a limited credit account with more fraud protection instead of a debit card which is a direct link to your account.
• Use hotel room safes – You should always use a hotel room safe for your stuff because even though you can lock your room that doesn’t mean nobody can get in
Faizan Ahmad About the Author:
This article is posted by Faizan who is the Author and Founder of TechSenser. He is a Professional Blogger from India and a passionate writer about Technology, Gadgets, How-to-Guides, etc. You can connect him on Google+.
