Safe Summer Travel Tips: Financial Security
BOSTON (CBS) - The busy travel season is about to get underway. Although the inclination is to think about relaxing, it's important to keep safety top of mind as well.
Identity thieves and run-of-the-mill crooks don't take their vacation in the summer. This is their busy season.
One woman at Logan Airport said her brother had his wallet stolen while he was visiting Italy. Another woman said she is very conscious to keep her bag zipped up and close by at all times.
Adam Levin of Identity Theft 911 advises travelers to leave some things at home.
"Make sure that you're taking a limited number of documents with you, because documents if they're stolen can cause a great deal of trouble for you," he explained.
Take an inventory of what's in your wallet too. Levin recommends limiting the number of credit and debit cards you take on a trip.
Then, keep one of each in the hotel safe in case your wallet is lost or stolen.
Ask your bank to keep tabs on your transactions.
"You also want to talk to them about giving you either a text or email notification of transactions occurring above a certain amount or for any ATM transaction in the world," Levin said.
Notify your financial institutions when you get home.
"Just confirm with your bank and your credit card company that you're back, and that they should start to see transactions in the normal time zone that they're used to," said Levin.
Finally, look at your various statements online, to make sure everything adds up.
