Five Ways to Stay Safe While Traveling
Are you planning to travel soon? Taking a vacation is the perfect opportunity to explore the world and make memories with the people you love most. Before you depart though, you should take a few steps to secure your possessions, identity, and finances so that you’re able to fully relax and enjoy yourself with peace of mind. Here are five actions that Peoples Security Bank recommends to help you stay safe while traveling.
Safeguard your Belongings
Before you head out, make copies of your travel documents or have them available on your phone. You should plan on keeping your credit card with you at all times and always bring cash just in case you lose or report your cards stolen. If you are traveling internationally, don’t forget to make sure you to have foreign currency on hand. If you have very valuable items with you, most hotels have safes you can use.
Secure your Home for Departure
If you are planning to be away from your home for a considerable amount of time, consider unplugging major electronics and turn off your water supply to guard against electrical surges or leaks. It’s always a good idea to let someone that you trust know that you will be traveling to have an extra set of eyes watching your home. This can be a friendly neighbor, friend, or even a security monitoring system.
Protect your Identity
Tourists are usually targeted by criminals. They will be looking to steal your identity through your documentation, electronics, and credit and debit cards. Be cautious and keep these pieces of information close to your person. Keep identification in a secure place and leave unnecessary items like your social security card and birth certificate at home. You will not need those when traveling. Make sure your mobile devices are password-protected to prevent unwelcome access and be wary of putting your personal information on public electronics. Be careful with public Wi-Fi which has become a very popular method for criminals to steal information from individuals.
Be Mindful of Card Skimming
One important thing to be on the lookout for is card skimmers. A card skimmer is a small device installed by criminals onto transaction terminals that are designed to collect card numbers. Typically, card skimmers are placed in high-traffic areas like gas stations and ATMs. Criminals will return later to use the information they recovered to print duplicates of the cards and make fraudulent purchases. While it can be difficult to detect card skimmers, they can usually be spotted by taking a closer look or even attempt to pull on the card inserter. If something comes loose, it most likely is a card skimmer.
Prepare for Emergencies
While traveling, even minor injuries can lead to expensive hospital costs. Make sure you are an insurance plan in place to prevent this. You should also ensure you are up-to-date on all necessary vaccines and medications and it doesn’t hurt to pack first-aid supplies.
Planning a vacation or traveling internationally soon? As a precautionary security feature to protect your account, transactions from various countries may be blocked. To prevent this from happening to you, be sure to call Peoples Security Bank to let us know when and where you will be vacationing to.