5 Tips on Avoiding Identity Theft on Solo Travel Now

Avoiding Identity Theft on Solo Travel :  On a past trip to South America, I had a surprise. Our host said he was on a kidnap list. Three of his friends had been kidnapped.  In some places, this is a way to get paid ransom as a type of business practice.

I had thought this was just in war zones or as a risk for the very rich. I knew no one who was in such harm’s way.

Fast forward to the present: In the past, to be paid ransom, hostage taking took a lot of work. Today it is easy. Why? Criminals can avoid the middle man, the hostage! They can take data or use schemes to get paid with no hostage. The growth is in identity theft. To get key data on the Web or by a hard copy is easy. There is no need to take a hostage when you can get a large group of victims with a few key strokes!

This is a growth industry.

With tech changes, this crime has now advanced. Business and hospital systems are held hostage for ransom, too.

In Mexico, there have been cases now known as “virtual kidnapping”: A lost or stolen cell phone or device was the hostage. The wily bad guys would then use the phone. They would call the loved ones and say pay up to get him or her back. The victim may not know the phone or device was lost. With no time to spare, people aid up without knowing the fate of the “hostage”.  Once funds were sent they might find out the truth that there was no hostage at all!  I have read that after a number of such crimes, Mexico has now set up a registry to try to track down such virtual kidnappers.

With the assist of the Web, scams have gone around the world.  The Internet opens the way for enterprising individuals to learn from scams in other countries. On trips to both Buenos Aires and Barcelona, Spain, I was with my sports club in both spots. A passerby told my friends that a bird had sprayed their back. While all looked up at the trees to find the bad bird, the thieves had their wallets. What a surprise! This very thing took place twice in such distant places!

The dangers exist 24/7 at home and abroad. On travel, the risks increase though. Why is that? Two reasons. First, tourists may be jetlagged in a strange place. That means that normal defenses are down. Second, travelers tend to take credit cards, cash and data on passports and financial documents.  The result?  Losses can be great. The time spent can be great. Think about having to cancel credit cards and replace passports. You can send a great part of a trip working on this. Add to it having to buy a new hone or even computer. As a result of tech advances, those losses can cause months, if not years, of tough problems from such ID theft.

5 Tips How to Avoid Identity Theft on Solo Travel : Lost Devices:

Tip One:

To Do:

• Keep your phone and hand held devices out of sight.
• Treat them as you would a credit card or your passport.
• Put them in a money belt. Wear it at your waist out of sight under a shirt or other clothes.

Tip Two:

To Do:

Consider deleting your mobile banking app from your devices on travel.

To Do:

• Password protect your phone and devices while you are away

Tip Three:

To Do:

• Clear your calling history.

5 Tips How to Avoid Identity Theft on Solo Travel : Protect Your Information:

Tip Four:

To do:

• List your home and family on your phone under nick names.
• Take out personal photos and items from your wallet.

Tip Five:

To do:

• Don’t leave your room key card in your hotel room. It may have credit card or other data on it. Be sure to put credit cards with chips in an aluminum wallet or sleeve.  You can find both on the Web. A quick fix? Go to your kitchen and make an aluminum cover for each credit card.

Conclusion: Don’t turn your dream trip into a nightmare! Please go to our Solo Trekker 4 U Contacts page. Then send us your own tips on how to avoid identity theft on travel now.

Guest Post: Our Solo Trekkers weigh in: Insights from Jane Roberts:

How to Keep Your Personal Data Safe During Your Solo Travel Adventures 

No one is exempt from the ever-growing threat of cybercrime, whether you stay at home or travel abroad. As you plan your next solo trip, your suitcase, passport, and wallet are not the only things you should be worried about losing. Your phone or laptop can be stolen or infected by cybercriminals, leading to the loss of sensitive personal information like banking information or website logins. Luckily, there are various cybersecurity precautions you can take before, during, and after your solo trips to ensure that your information is always secure.

Before leaving 

When it comes to safeguarding your sensitive information, you need to be proactive, not reactive. Some of the items on your cybersecurity checklist need to be taken care of before hitting the skies or hitting the road. First of all, bring only the devices you know you’ll need during your trip; the chances of anything getting stolen, damaged, or compromised are higher when you have many devices with you.

You also need to back up all your sensitive information on the devices you’ll be taking with you so that you can easily recover it if you lose any of the devices. Make sure that your devices have up-to-date anti-virus protection and operating systems to protect them against the latest cyber threats. You may also want to secure any devices you’ll be leaving at home or at your workplace to ensure that cybercriminals don’t take advantage of your absence. Remember to turn off the ‘auto-connect’ feature on your phone to avoid inadvertently connecting to risky networks while on your trip.

During your trip 

The kinds of cyber threats you’re exposed to during your solo trips can vary widely depending on where you are going, which is why you must stay vigilant, both online and physically. You can start by ensuring that all your devices are always secured with strong passwords: this is your first line of defense in the event of a security breach. You also need to be careful about the networks you use, especially when public and free WiFi is your only option for service. By spoofing legitimate WiFi networks, cybercriminals can easily gain access to your private data, making public WiFi one of your biggest cybersecurity threats. Always ensure that any networks you use are secure and on top of that, use a Virtual Private Network to encrypt any data you receive. If you must use networks that you are not sure are safe, avoid conducting sensitive activities like online shopping or banking.

After your trip 

Back home safe? Don’t rest yet. There are a few more things you can do to prevent cyberattacks. Start by updating your anti-virus software and running manual scans on all your devices to get rid of any uninvited guests. Check your bank accounts for any unexpected spending or withdrawals and warn your bank if you have any suspicions that your credentials may have been compromised. As an extra precaution, you can reset your passwords, pins, and other credentials you used while abroad whether or not you think they are compromised.

The more you travel and access the internet on the go, the higher the chances of cyberattacks. By remaining vigilant before, during, and after your solo trips, you can safeguard your sensitive information and reduce the risk of suffering a cyberattack significantly.