Over seven million people in the United States last year alone were victims of identity theft resulting in almost fifty billion dollars of fraudulent credit card, bank, and other financial charges. A significant number of these victims were business travelers, tourists, and people on their holidays. Here is some valuable information that may save you a ton of grief when you travel.

It is very easy when people travel on vacation to let their guard down. They have a lot on their minds remembering everything they need to take care of before they go and what they need to take with them on vacation. Not only that, they want to relax, unwind, and have fun. Isn’t that what vacations are suppose to be all about? When they travel they don’t want to have to be on guard all time and constantly concerned about getting ripped off every second of their holidays.

There are three major sources of identity theft that you should be aware of when you travel. They are your wallet, your laptop or PDA, and internet cafes.

Research shows that most identity thefts happen when people’s wallets are stolen, usually by professional pick pockets. Whether you travel on business or vacation you must guard your wallet at all times because you are at more risk than in familiar surroundings. Never carry your wallet in your back pocket – it’s not called the “sucker pocket” for nothing. It’s best to put your wallet in a fanny pack. A number of travelers prefer a fanny pack with a Velcro closure instead of a zippered one because you can hear it being opened. The usual places you will find pickpockets are in crowded areas such as airports, train and bus stations, hotel lobbies, restaurants, and sporting events.

Almost everyone carries more personal information in their wallets then they need. What you should do before you travel is to go through your wallet and take out any personal information that you don’t need when traveling such as bank checks and check books, credit card receipts, bills, and memberships cards such as library cards. Also, you do not need to take your social security card as you probably already have that number memorized by heart.

Debit cards are a convenient way to take small amounts of cash out of ATM’s when traveling, but are also a great way for thieves to clean out your bank account if they ever get a hold of them. A good way to reduce this risk is to open up a separate account at your bank before you go and only put as much day-to-day cash in it as you think you may need for your holidays. Take only that one debit card with you.

Credit cards are protected by Federal law and are a much better choice to take with you as you are usually covered for any fraudulent charges incurred. If you are over charged or find an error on any of your credit card transactions when you travel, it’s easier to get the charges corrected or reversed from the card companies. You probably should take two credit cards in case one is lost, or compromised. You can also obtain a smaller, limited amount prepaid cash cards from MasterCard, Visa, and American Express that are perfect for daily use. You can purchase these cash cards in any denomination. It’s probably best to buy a couple of cards with lower limits of about five hundred dollars or less each. The credit card companies will replace any pilfered or lost funds. Leave your passport and major cards in your hotel room safe or the hotel’s safe along with any other personal info that you do not need from day to day.

Before you travel, be sure and check that your credit cards do not expire while you are on vacation. And remember to call your credit card issuers and let them know when and where you plan to holiday so they don’t have a seizure or conniption fit and cancel your card when they see a credit charge appearing from some place like Timbuktu. Be sure and make a note of these phone numbers and take them with you when traveling on vacation.

Another major source of identity theft starts with stolen laptops. More than six hundred thousand laptops are pilfered or lost in the U.S. alone, frequently from inattentive travelers in airports, restaurants, and hotel lobbies.

Before you travel on vacation, back up your laptop and put the backup disc in a safe place at home or in the safety deposit box at your bank just in case your laptop is lost or stolen. Stick a small strip of colored tape on the top and bottom of your laptop and laptop case as most laptops and their cases look similar in appearance. Write your name, destination address, and contact information at your destination on a piece of paper and tape it to your laptop just in case it is lost at the airport. You shouldn’t use your home address on this piece of paper. It’s better to use your work or business address and phone number. There are so many laptops left behind at airports unintentionally. The lost and found airport personnel do not have time to try and gain access to all the laptops which are more than likely password protected anyway.

The third major source of identity theft can happen at any public computer or internet cafe. Your personal information could be at risk even if you are just accessing or sending e-mails. Key stroke loggers could be installed which secretly keeps a record of all user names, passwords and personal information entered on public computers. Even if the public computers are not compromised they still store the information you input in the temporary internet files and history. Do not access any bank or credit card account, or pay bills from these computers. In general, computers located in the business centers of hotels and on cruise ships are safer to use than other public computers.

The bottom line is to always be vigilant whenever you travel. Have a safe and fun filled vacation!

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Whenever you travel on commercial air flights, or by trains and buses, you have to go through either an airport, train station, or bus station. This can present problems for unsuspecting travelers who are on vacations or holidays, because these are the places where pickpockets and thieves love to operate. There are many things that you can do to avoid becoming a victim when traveling on vacation and holiday, most of which are common sense. Here are some travel tips that can help.

Do not wear jewelry or an expensive looking watch as that is just an invitation to be robbed.

Wear a money belt under you shirt or blouse to help foil pickpockets or robbers. It is a good idea to put your things in a Ziploc bag and then put the bag in your money belt. The reason for this is that the money belt and the items in it will get soaked from your perspiration, especially in hot climates, and this will keep them dry. Do not open up your money belt in public to take out cash, traveler’s checks, or credit cards.

It might be worth it before you leave on a holiday or vacation to sew a few pockets on the inside of your slacks, skirts, or underclothing where you can stash some spare cash when you are out and about for the day. If you are carrying credit cards, cash, or traveler’s checks on your person, you should divide them up and put them in different pockets. Then, if a pickpocket is successful, he or she won’t steal everything. It also makes sense to use a safety pin to make each pocket opening smaller so that a pickpocket will have difficulty pulling anything out of your pockets without you being aware of it.

When you notice a number of children gathering around you in the street and causing a commotion, you are likely being targeted by pickpockets who are using children to distract you. If a few of the locals start a shoving and yelling match near you, they might be a diversion for a pickpocket. Another distraction is to have someone fall down in front of you. When you stoop over to help them, the pickpocket goes to work. A variation involves a couple of thieves working together, one dropping some ice cream, ketchup or mustard on one of your shoulders and then distracting you by pointing to the mess and helping you to wipe it off. The other pickpocket then goes into action.

Pickpockets love to target men with their wallets invitingly exposed in their back pockets, and obese people because they are less likely to feel their pockets being picked. You must always be especially vigilant in airports, train and bus stations and watch your luggage, laptop, and camera like a hawk as they can vanish in an instant. Keep in mind that pickpockets prefer tourists, especially when they are in crowds.

Be vigilant when you are wearing a backpack. Thieves may slash the bottom of it, spilling all the contents onto the street where he and his accomplices grab your possessions and run away in different directions.

Usually most muggings occur at night and not in a busy, bustling area of the city. If you are held up by an armed robber, do not argue or resist. Just give them what they want and be thankful that you don’t get hurt. Whatever they take can be replaced and is not worth risking your life over.

When reading Bob Arno’s book on how people can avoid street scams, thefts, and cons, we felt that it would be an informative book for anyone who goes on vacation, or travels for business, to also read. It is chuck full of information and photos showing you how numerous scams work. There is no limit to what criminals can conspire to think of to steal and rip-off from unsuspecting tourists.

Bob is one of the world’s foremost authorities on street crime, scams, and identity theft. If you are interested in learning more on how to protect yourself and your loved ones when on vacations and holidays as well as in your own city or town, you may want to read his book, “Travel Advisory! How to Avoid Thefts, Cons, and Street Scams While Traveling”. It may be available at your local library.

He has been interviewed on MSNBC, CNN, ABC’s 20/20, The Travel Channel, The Learning Channel, Discovery Channel, and has articles written about him in The New York Times, USA Today, National Geographic Traveler, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine.

His book is full of humor, true stories, as well as many photos of pickpockets and street scam artists in action. In our opinion, his book is worth its weight in gold, and is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn how to protect themselves and their family when traveling, and even in their own home town.

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Laptop Anti-Theft: bit.ly Laptop theft in hotels and airports is rampant. Learn how to protect you laptop or notebook while traveling from identity theft expert John Sileo.