Don't Let Identity Theft Ruin Your Vacation

05-24-2007
Contact: Glen Loyd
608-224-5007

Don't let identity theft ruin your vacation.  Here's advice from the Wisconsin Office of Privacy Protection:

• Don't take your debit card traveling, instead use a credit card or traveler's checks. If a debit card is compromised there is little a consumer can do to retrieve the funds, where if a credit card or traveler's check is compromised a fraudulent claim can result in a return of funs to the consumer.
• Watch your surroundings while traveling. Someone may overhear you providing your credit card number to a hotel for reservation, providing personal information when checking into a hotel or renting a car.
• Clean out your wallet and take only what is needed on vacation. Don't leave personal documents in your hotel room. Hotels tell you in their policy they are not responsible for what employees do if you leave something on value in your room.
• When using hotel business center computers to send and receive email or surf the web, do not include personal information. It may not be clear whether the computer is secured with the latest spy ware, virus and firewall protection.

For more information, call the toll free hotline of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection:  1-800-422-7128.

###