If you’re planning to take a vacation over the holidays or spring break, don’t think that identity thieves are doing the same. In fact, the time while you’re away from home can give them the perfect opportunity to dig through your mailbox, trash can and recycling bin or even break in to your house or car. It’s bad enough to find that someone has violated your personal property, but it can be even worse when you find out later that this same individual is using your credit cards, applying for a loan in your name or ruining your credit score.
Here are some things you can do to prevent this disaster from happening.
1. Don’t let newspapers and mail pile up. Not only does this make them fodder for thieves, but it is a dead giveaway that no one’s around to retrieve them. Instead contact the newspaper company and the post office to have deliveries held or hire a house sitter to come by and bring them inside for you.
2. Make sure your trash can and recycle bins are empty. If you need to, ask a neighbor to hold them in his or her yard until the appropriate pickup day.
3. Secure important documents, like passports and Social Security cards. Either lock them in a safe in your home or put them in a safe deposit box at the bank. If you don’t have the time or the funds to do this, at least stick them in a place where a thief isn’t likely to search, such as between the pages of a book.
4. Password protect electronics. If a thief gets access to your home, he or she might try to find personal information on your computer, especially with the time cushion of you being away. Set up your computer so you need a password to log on to it (newer versions of Windows do this automatically) and make that password difficult to guess, containing both letters and numbers. Try and use a password not found in the dictionary.
5. Keep the fact that you’re going on vacation pretty quiet. Don’t tell all of the neighbors you’re leaving and how long you’ll be gone. It can be hard to tell who is trustworthy and who isn’t and when a potential identity thief is in earshot.
6. Make copies of your credit cards and identification, front and back, and keep them in a separate place from the actual cards, such as in the pocket of your suitcase. That way it’s easy to call and cancel them if you lose your wallet on your trip.
7. You may also want to contact your primary financial institution and tell a representative to put a note on your file that you are traveling so employees will know to expect charges from out of town and to not expect local transactions during this time. Many institutions will shut off your card automatically if they see what they deem to be unusual activity.
If you need more peace of mind, think about an identity theft protection service because it isn’t much of a vacation if you can’t relax while you’re on it.