Identity theft is serious business, it cannot only wreck your finances but it can wreck your life. We are conditioned to be on the look out for certain things while we are in our normal environment at home, but when on vacation we tend to let our guards down. While vacationers and especially cruisers tend to be so caught up in the easy living of cruising the bad guys are working overtime.
Don’t trust anyone: As cold as it may seem the truth is no one knows what the bad guys look like. That friendly cabin steward that always fulfills your request with a smile may have a side job selling passports on the black market. Use the ship or hotel provided safe for anything that may be even remotely important.
Keep an eye on your wallet: Many of the ports we love the most exist in places where pick pocketing a national past time, always know where your wallet is. Consider getting a money belt for optimum safety but if you must carry a wallet; keep it in your front pocket.
Keep your documents safe: Whenever practical always keep your personal documents like passports with you. You should never place any personal documents in your checked luggage and never leave them lying around your hotel room or stateroom. Personal documents like passports are like gold on the black market; you should either keep them on your person or locked in a safe.
Don’t carry your world with you: Empty your purse or wallet and only bring along those things you will need. Leave your extra credit cards in a safe place and carry traveler’s checks or cash instead of your checkbook or debit card while in port. If you feel you must use a card try out a stored value card, which is like a debit card, but they aren’t tied to any personal information.
Beware of Internet cafes: We all know the connections on the ship are less than perfect. Many people opt to use Internet cafes in port for a more stable and less costly connection. This is fine, just be careful not to log into any personal accounts from a public computer.
Save all of your receipts: You should check your account activity as soon as you return home. If you have saved all of your receipts, you can compare them to recent card activity to identify any purchases that you didn’t make.
Look into fraud alerts: Make sure to place a fraud alert with the credit bureaus before you leave for vacation. These give you an extra layer of protection to guard against “the bad guys” using your personal information by alerting you of someone trying to open a new credit line in your name.
I know the last thing you want to think about on vacation is a subject as depressing as identity fraud but be an “Intelligent Cruiser” and use these seven tips to ensure that you don’t become another statistic.
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Great post. Especially the info about the internet cafes… I’m heading out next month and love your blog.