Travelers can be a ripe target for identity thieves. When traveling, we provide others with access to our personal and financial more often than in our typical daily interactions: your personal affects are out of your control for long periods during flights, you are taking your identification (and your purse/wallet) out often during airport security check-ins, using your credit card in unfamiliar locales (hotels, restaurants, car rental places, etc.), potentially visiting unfamiliar ATMs, accessing the Internet from unknown locations and are generally more mobile giving you more places to potentially leave behind or lose your personal property – all of which provide more avenues for identity thieves.  

These risks are magnified when you are traveling for business, where you are likely using a corporate credit card and could potentially leave sensitive corporate information and networks open to identity thieves. With this in mind, following are some tips to protect yourself, and your company’s financial and corporate information, from identity theft while traveling for business:

1. According to recent reports, hotels are a favored target of hackers, leaving hotel guests at greater risk for identify theft. Check your credit card statement online immediately following checkout and upon returning from a trip and review for any unauthorized charges.
2. Do not publicize business travel plans and dates on social networking sites. Privacy settings on networks like Facebook and Twitter do not guarantee information will not be accessed by unauthorized viewers.
3. Carry only vital items, and nothing that includes a social security number, in a wallet or purse. Pickpockets can obtain your business and personal financial information, increasing the risk of identity theft.
4. Do not carry personal documents in checked luggage where you have no control over the security of your belongings.
5. Make copies of all important documents (passport, itinerary, reservation confirmations, credit cards) and give them to trusted family and friends before leaving so that they can help you contact the appropriate third parties in case your wallet and/or bags are stolen.
6. Do not use or carry debit cards. A stolen debit card can be used to immediately empty your account, preventing you from being able to obtain cash if needed.
7. Carry no more than two credit cards. The second card is only to serve as a back-up should the primary become damaged or shut down by the issuer. (Fraudulent events can occur that cause issuers to opt for shutting down a person’s account, which would leave one without access to funds.)
8. Check bank and credit card activity from a secure online connection and/or at an ATM at least once during the trip. This will help one quickly detect whether you have become a victim of “skimming,” which often occurs in restaurants and bars where copies of the magnetic strip are made in order to make a counterfeit card.
9. Use hotel room safes or hotel safes to store all valuables, including anything that contains personal identity information that could be used by identity thieves.
10. Beware of wifi hotspots, as they are usually not secure and unencrypted. Make sure to use a firewall to protect data and, when possible, limit access and avoid doing any financial transactions or using passwords with accounts.

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