Over 500,000 Americans will be victimized by identity theft this year, and travelers will be especially hard hit. Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the US. It is worse for travelers because it is much harder to figure out where the theft occurred. It could be a waiter with a pager sized card reader, that takes a swipe of your card when no one is looking, a worker in a shop or store, or even a bogus ATM machine.
Think about how many different accounts are tied to your ATM card. Do you have a checking, savings, money market account tied to the card? If that is the case then an identity thief with access to your card information can drain money away from all of those accounts.
July 10, 2003
NewsObserver.com
By MEGAN CARROLL, Staff Writer
STAYING SAFE
Keep your identity protected
Staying Safe - Summer Vacation Perils
You don't want to forget the sunscreen when you go on vacation, but some other things you may want to leave at home.
More than a half-million people will have their personal identities stolen this year, making identity theft the fastest growing crime in the United States, according to Jim Vaules, a LexisNexis fraud consultant who wrote tips to help travelers protect their personal finances when on summer excursions.
When the crime occurs during travel, said A.L. Jackson, an investigator in the fraud unit at the Durham Police Department, they are harder to solve...
Posted by travelsafetyblog at May 4, 2004 02:03 PM