Released July 17, 2009
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Summer safety isn't limited to sunscreen and lifeguards - it's also about vacationing without being taken for a ride, according to Laura Connerly, extension family financial management instructor for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
Americans were expected to take 322 million trips during June, July and August, and were expected to spend more than $900 during their longest trip, according to the U.S. Travel Association, a travel industry trade group,
For thieves, travelers on vacation are easy marks. They're distracted by the sites and often focusing on family, not necessarily on where their wallets, purses or IDs are.
Connerly advises travelers to be picky about what they pack to thwart ID theft
"First you need to think about making sure that you always keep up with your purse or your wallet and think about what you are carrying in your wallet as you travel away from home," she said. "Don't take your Social Security card in your purse or wallet with you.
"Only take the personal identification that you need and the particular credit or debit cards that you intend to use while you are away from home," Connery said. "Leave everything else in a secure location."
When making purchases, be sure to check the receipt in the store or restaurant and make corrections while there.
"Mistakes can happen and it's much easier to correct the mistakes when you're still at the store than after you get back home," she said. "And when you get home, check your credit card statement and be sure that amount has been correctly credited to you to make up for the overcharge."
Connerly urges care when using plastic on holiday.
"It's a good idea to go ahead and sign the place on the back of the card and that way the sales person can check your signature against the one on the card to make sure that it's accurate," she said. "If suspicious contact your credit card company. If you do find anything that looks suspicious, be sure to contact your credit card company as soon as possible."
Don't lend credit cards to anyone and never sign a blank credit card receipt. Also take care to clean up any credit card receipts lying around the hotel room, she said.
For more information about ID theft and credit, visit http://www.uaex.edu for "Identity theft: How to avoid being a victim," http://www.uaex.edu/news/april2009/0424money_idtheft.htm, and "Credit Repair," at http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/PDF/FSFCS54.pdf.
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http://www.uaex.edu/news/july2009/0717travel_safety.htm
Writer: Elizabeth Fortune, (501) 671-2120, efortune@uaex.edu
