Make It Home with Your Identity Intact
This Spring Break
Texas CPAs Offer Five Tips to Prevent Identity Theft While Traveling

DALLAS — While you’ve spent the last six months calorie counting and penny pinching, the time has finally arrived. Spring Break 2008 is here at last. Some of you will be soaking up the rays on a remote beach and some of you will be taking Route 66 to Destination Unknown.

No matter where you are or what you’re doing on spring break, one thing’s for sure: identity theft is able to find you on the slopes, at the beach, in your hotel, or at any landmark worldwide. Texas CPAs offer five smart ways to keep identity theft from happening to you this spring break.

1. Only carry what you need
If you can think of a situation where you’ll need your reward zone card while backpacking through Europe, then bring it along. However, people probably don’t need their entire wallet with them on the beach. Do bikinis even have pockets? To keep your personal belongings to a minimum, it’s best to take additional cards out of your wallet or purse before you even leave for vacation. A driver’s license or ID card, an ATM card or credit card and your passport should be all you need. If you feel like you might need your health insurance card, make a photocopy and black out the Social Security number.

2. ATM cards are like blank checks
ATM cards are also called “check cards.” These cards act like checks and the money is immediately withdrawn from your account. Texas CPAs say to only carry what you think you will need for that day. It’s always a drag to lose some cash, but it’s an even bigger mess to have your identity stolen and not even know until the damage has been done. With that, always carry some cash and a check or credit card if you plan on making many purchases or expensive ones. It’s important to always be aware of your belongings and your surroundings.

You never want to set your wallet on the table or drape your purse on the back of a chair while you eat. Women should never set their purse on the floor in the bathroom stall or hang it on the hook on the back of the door. Thieves could easily reach over the top or under the bottom of the stall and take your bag along with your identity. Texas CPAs also advise you to be cautious of what you keep in your backpack because it’s easy for thieves to rummage through a backpack, especially with your back turned.

3. Avoid random ATMs
Travelers should be wary of single ATMs set up in high tourist areas. Often times hidden cameras have been strategically placed to monitor you enter your PIN number. Believe it or not, fake machines have even been created with a computer storage device to record your card’s information. Also be aware of “shoulder surfers,” identity thieves who look over your shoulder as you are entering your PIN. To avoid identity theft at ATMs, Texas CPAs say it’s best to stick with ATMs at familiar establishments and recognizable banks.

4. Lock up your valuables in the hotel safe
Remember when you go out for the afternoon or evening to lock up all your belongings in the hotel safe. Hiding your PDA in a sock balled up in the bottom of your suitcase probably isn’t the best form of security. Even if it has a lock, suitcases can be easily broken into or stolen. If you pay your bills online or store important numbers and documents on your computer, laptops and Blackberries are simple ways for hackers to steal your identity. Utilize the safe in your hotel room to lock up not only expensive accessories, but your personal information as well.

5. Nothing says “out of town” like a pile of mail
Leaving a stash full of utility bills and credit card statements in your mailbox makes you an easy target for identity theft. Remember to ask either a friend or a family member to bring in your mail for you while you’re gone. However, this can be hard living in a college town where often times you go through the entire year without ever meeting your neighbor. Just to play it on the safe side, consider putting your mail on “postal hold.” The post office will hold your mail at the post office until you come in and pick it up in person, for a minimum of three days up to 30. It’s safe, free and you can register online at https://holdmail.usps.com/duns/HoldMail.jsp.

ABOUT TSCPA
TSCPA (http://www.tscpa.org) is a nonprofit, voluntary, professional organization representing Texas CPAs. The society has 20 local chapters statewide and has 28,000 members, one of the largest in-state memberships of any state CPA society in the United States. TSCPA is committed to serving the public interest with programs that advance the highest standards of ethics and practice within the CPA profession.