 TITLE: How to Prevent Identity Theft While Traveling CONTENT: Steps to Take Before the Trip\n-----------------------------\nYou can take several actions to reduce the chance of identity theft before you ever hop on a plane. As you're winding up your vacation itinerary and creating your packing list, don't forget these important tasks.\n*   **Clean out your wallet or purse.** Only carry what you absolutely need for the trip, such as your driver's license, passport and the credit or debit cards you'll be using. Remove everything else that could identify you.\n*   **Contact your bank and credit card providers.** Let them know you'll be traveling to alert them of unusual charges, and they won't decline your card due to suspected fraudulent activity.\n*   **Check your credit report****.** This will give you a baseline of information the credit companies have on record.\n*   **Set up identity theft protection.** This type of service will monitor your personal information activity and financial accounts and alert you if it detects problems.\n*   **Set up a mail hold.** The U.S. Postal Service will hold your mail for up to 30 days while you travel. While you're setting up the mail hold, consider signing up for Informed Delivery, where the post office scans your mail on each delivery day and emails you a PDF of the letters. That way you'll know if anything is missing.\n*   **Add ribbons or unusual luggage tags to your suitcases.** This way you can quickly identify them at the baggage carousel. Your luggage tag should include minimal information: your last name and your cell phone number. This way you can be contacted if it goes missing, but if it is stolen or taken by mistake, no one will have your address, email or other personally identifiable information.\n*   **Share your travel plans with a few trusted people.** Do this in person rather than announcing it on your social media accounts. Even with the strictest settings, there is never complete privacy with anything shared on the internet.\n*   **Pay your bills.** Make sure your bills are all paid—or set up with autopay—before you leave so you won't have to worry about logging in to those sensitive accounts while traveling.\n*   **Update your devices.** Any software patches or operating system updates should be done through your secure home internet connection. It also leaves fewer holes that can be exploited by hackers when using questionable connections. END