Fraud Tip

Items Can Be Lost Easily When Traveling. Only Take What You Need With You and Lock Up Your Valuables.
It can be very easy to lose important items when you travel. Take only the credit cards, identification and cash that you need with you, and minimize the total amount of items that you carry at once to reduce the possibility that you might lose track of them. Any important or expensive items that are not carried on you should be locked up in a hotel safe. This includes a backup payment method, such as an additional credit card, that can be used if you lose your other items. Copy your identification information and leave the copies in the safe for additional security.

Sticking out makes you a target. When traveling, try your best to blend in with the locals.

Thieves, pickpockets and con artists will often try to pick tourists out of a crowd. Avoid any telltale signs that you’re a tourist when you travel abroad, such as bright new sneakers, fanny packs or large cameras slung across your neck. Instead, try your best to dress casually or in the same fashion as the locals. If you are approached by a stranger while traveling, keep your guard up.

Never transport items for other people when traveling.
It’s important that you remember not to transport items for others when you travel. However, this doesn’t just include bags and other physical items. You shouldn’t transport data or information for others either. The new data protection regulation for Europe, GDPR, considers the movement of data across international borders a serious crime and may open you to legal charges and or litigation.

Keep copies of important documents when traveling.
Losing important documents while traveling, such as your ID and passport, is inconvenient and costly. Always leave a copy of your itinerary and your important documents with someone else while you’re traveling and call in regularly to update them on your trip.

Verify the identity of your driver before getting into a car when you are traveling.
When you are traveling and need to be picked up by someone whom you’ve never met before, exercise appropriate caution. This is particularly important when you are traveling in an unfamiliar region. To be safe, verify the identity of your driver before getting into his or her car. Check a photo ID; do not be lulled into a false sense of security by someone holding up a sign with your name on it. Uber and Lyft provide you with a photo of the driver, the make and model of the car and the license plate. Don’t accept an unsolicited ride from anyone.

Tag your luggage with your name, address, and phone number when traveling.
The loss of your luggage during travel can occur accidentally or through theft. Protect yourself from the accidental loss of luggage by tagging it on the inside and outside with your name, address, and phone number. The outside tag should have a flap or cover that will hide your personal information from prying eyes. Use brightly colored tags made from strong plastic that will resist rough handling.

Never leave your luggage unattended.
Luggage can easily get misplaced or stolen while you travel. Make sure that you never leave your luggage unattended. When possible, carry your luggage with you rather than checking it in. If you have to check-in luggage, pick it up as quickly as possible following your arrival. Always mark your luggage clearly with your contact information so that it can be sent to you if it is recovered. Try to never pack valuable or sensitive information in checked baggage. Try to take these items in carryon bags.

When traveling, leave copies of your ID, passport, itinerary, and any other important documents with someone at home or work.
When traveling, especially to an unfamiliar location, it’s important to follow some basic safety tips. Make copies of important documents such as your ID, passport and the complete itinerary of your trip. Give this information to someone back at home and check in with this person periodically. This way, if you lose your ID, the person can send you a copy. If you don’t check in on a regular basis, your safety person can alert the authorities that you may have gone missing.

When traveling, only use registered taxi services, and get dropped off at a safe location.
Traveling can be dangerous if you aren’t conscientious about your travel plans. Only use registered taxi services and don’t get into an unmarked taxi or a taxi that you did not request. Know your route well enough to know whether you have deviated from it, and make sure your taxi driver drops you off in a safe, well-lit location. Always check the identity and license plate number of the drive of any Uber or Lyft rides you take.

When traveling, pay with cash when your suspicions are aroused.
When you travel, simply using your credit card could potentially expose you to the risk of identity theft. If you begin to feel wary about using your credit card, you should trust your instincts. Pay cash rather than handing over your credit card. If you distrust the situation entirely, make sure that you do not reveal how much cash you have, as this could also make you a target.

When staying at a hotel, store your computers, mobile devices, and other valuable items in a safe or keep them locked in your luggage.
Any time that you need to work remotely and are staying in a hotel, protect your organization’s information by storing all devices as securely as possible. If there is no safe in your room, ask the front desk if they have a general-purpose hotel safe that you can use. Otherwise, you should secure your items by locking them up in luggage whenever you are not using them. This becomes more important than ever with the ability of bad guys to hack the lock to your room.

Items can be lost easily when traveling. Only take what you need with you and lock up your valuables.
It can be very easy to lose important items when you travel. Take only the credit cards, identification and cash that you need with you, and minimize the total amount of items that you carry at once to reduce the possibility that you might lose track of them. Any important or expensive items that are not carried on you should be locked up in a hotel safe. This includes a backup payment method, such as an additional credit card, that can be used if you lose your other items. Copy your identification information and leave the copies in the safe for additional security.

Expensive equipment and jewelry can easily be lost when traveling. Avoid taking or displaying these items on trips.
When traveling, expensive equipment and jewelry can easily be lost or stolen. Avoid taking anything expensive with you when you travel that you don’t absolutely need. If you do need to take expensive items with you, consider storing them either in a hotel safe or in a safe within your room rather than bringing them out with you. Items that you do need to bring with you should always be secured to you in some fashion, and any devices that have information on them should be appropriately locked and password protected.

Be cautious of travel websites.
According to the Federal Trade Commission Travel Scams page, travel-related cyberattacks can occur even before the trip begins. While vacation planning sites can be useful, you must ensure the site is credible. Many scammers will pose as an authentic site, pretending to offer luxury vacations, travel coordination, discounted trips, and timeshare sellers only to steal your personal information.

Avoid social media before and during your vacation.
Avoid announcing your vacation dates and location on social media. This basically creates an open invitation for all types of criminals to invade your home and provides ammo for cyber-criminals to stage attacks. For example, attackers can use details from your social posts to add authenticity to calls to relatives and friends claiming you need bail money, you’ve been mugged while traveling, or you need money to pay a fine.
Source: inspiredelearning.com