Thursday 20th March 2008
When you go on holiday, the furthest thing from your mind may be identity theft. However, it is a real risk in today's society and you need to make sure that you protect yourself. Here are seven easy ways that you can keep your credit cards and identity safe while on holiday.
- Invest in quality travel luggage: To avoid having your cards and money stolen while on holiday, you may need to invest in a good quality travel handbag that has a slice proof strap. Men can also find wallets that can be hidden in different pockets or directly on their person.
- Be alert when using an ATM: Whenever you need to visit an ATM machine, take a few seconds to look around. If you see people hanging around the machine, find another one to use. It is always helpful to have someone with you that you trust when visiting an ATM. It is also important to make sure that you do not leave your receipt or card behind when you are done with your transaction.
- Travellers cheques are still the best policy: If you don't want to have the hassle of worrying about credit card loss, take plenty of traveller's cheques with you. This can really make a difference and they are very easy to obtain and use. Although primarily a credit card issuer, American Express still do offer travellers cheques.
- Lock your hotel room: If you are leaving personal items behind in your hotel room, make sure that the door is firmly locked and the items are hidden away. Make use of the hotel safe and double check their security protocols to make sure your data will be safe.
- Protect your equipment: If you have personal information stored on a laptop or phone, make sure that you do not leave it behind or lose it on your trip. Get a carrier that will keep it secure, or better yet, leave it in the hotel.
- Paying in restaurants: If you don't have traveller's cheques and you need to pay your bill at a restaurant, insist on giving the cashier the card personally and watch them as they run it. This will cut down on chances for your card number to be stolen or cloned.
- Always err on the side of caution: Never give your personal information to anyone you do not trust. Check with your hotel concierge before doing business with local merchants to see if there are any known problems with a store or business person.
|
→ Full Credit cards
News Archive
|
|
| Other top stories in this section:
|
|
Credit cards
Despite the fact that the worldwide economy is on a slippery slope it seems that less people filed for bankruptcy in the first quarter of 2008 compared to the same period last year. Figures... 
.gif)
