Tag Archives: Street Crime

Simple Safety and Security Advice When Making Hotel Reservations

After you pick the location for your next hotel stay, savvy travelers recommend you do two things when making hotel reservations to ensure a more relaxing stay.

First, you need to give security some thought, even if you’re staying at a top resort. Next, you should make your personal requests known in advance. Here’s why.

Security Priorities

Request a hotel room in the “safest room zone”
That’s defined as a room on the second floor or higher, but below the 6^th in case there is a fire and the fire department needs to reach you. A room on the ground floor that has doors or windows that open to the outside is riskier especially in the case of motels, rooms off parking lots, or if you like to sleep with an open window.

Who else can access your room?
Pack a portable travel door lock. You never know if there are extra keys, key cards or pass keys out there that can open your hotel room while you are inside. You’ll sleep more soundly knowing your room is truly locked.

Identity theft happens most frequently in hotels
According to Experian, identity theft crimes took place most commonly in hotels (24 percent), restaurants (18 percent) and followed by airports (12 percent). Guard your credit cards, ID, and passport when you travel. Do not give out your credit card number to someone calling your room, even if they say they are calling from the front desk. Do not use the open WiFi connection or business center computers to conduct personal business or anything requiring a password protecting personal data.

How safe is the room safe?
A common place you leave items with your personal information while you are away from the room is the room safe. All hotel safes have a bypass code or way to open them in case a guest forgets their passcode or if the safe’s electronics fail. Theft from a room safe is virtually unprovable. Consider a safe lock that works to discourage and stop would be thieves. There’s a lot of peace of mind right there.

Personal Request for Comfort and Convenience

Room location
Do you want to be close to the pool, lobby or an elevator? Have the hotel reservations agent mark your preference in your reservation at the time of booking (try to get that room between the 2nd and 6th floor.)

Room amenities
Do you want more pillows or special hypo-allergenic pillows? Ask for them at the time of booking so that housekeeping can place them in your room before your arrival or as soon as you arrive. The same goes for extra towels or a bathrobe. Make sure your preferences are noted in your booking record and then confirm at the check-in desk even before going to your room. This prevents you from having to open the door to someone else.

Be hands-free and worry-free at the pool or gym

If you plan on lounging by the hotel pool or beach, bring a portable pool or beach safe to secure valuables you leave behind when swimming or walking around. Knowing your valuables are close and secure will let you enjoy your activities more without carrying your phone, room key, etc. with you or taking turns guarding the “stuff.”

Most importantly, confirm that your security and comfort preferences are noted in your hotel reservation 24 hours before you arrive by speaking to someone at the front desk, not the reservation center. While asking for special accommodations does not guarantee that you’ll always get them, but by speaking to a person on the property does up your chances. If they do accommodate you be sure to thank them in person for their effort, and they may continue to help you out throughout your stay.

Personal safety practices once you’re at the hotel

Read the below article Must Read Hotel Safety Tips on personal security practices once you arrive at a hotel. It’s worth the read

One of the most liberating benefits of modern technology is the mobility and flexibility it gives us. Stay connected on vacation for fun, or even to sneak a peek at office emails if you must. If you’re out of the office for work, you won’t be out of the loop thanks to technology. All you need to do is carry your laptop, mobile phone or tablet and you’re plugged in. However, along with that comes vulnerability and risks.

If you are not careful about how and where you use your devices, you may end up having a vacation data disaster! The data lost may be personal in nature like your family’s pictures on the beach, or it could be business related to your profession. There are many ways you can lose data from your devices when away from home. Data could be simply lost due to carelessness which damages the hard drive. While vacationing, laptops and hard drives can face a relatively harsher climate than what you have in your home or office. Whether you are camping, trekking, doing road trips or simply lying on the beach or by the pool extreme variations in temperature and moisture, exposure to sunlight and sand and mechanical jolts and rough handling all make your hardware prone to crash. Mobile phones and tablets can accidentally get dropped in swimming pools; you get the picture.

Besides different environments which can impact data, theft of laptops and phones is the number one reason data is lost. Laptops are stolen mainly from airports, hotels, restaurants, and crowded locations such as subways and train stations. It is no coincidence that these busy locations are where the majority of thieves target their victims. It’s not only the price of the laptop they are interested in. Sometimes the data inside could be valuable as well. The wi-fi provided in most hotels, and cyber cafes are not secure, and almost anyone can have access to your data if they want. By gaining access inside your hard drive, they can delete and manipulate your programs and access your passwords which could also provide entry to business sites.

So what should you do? As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. Don’t let your laptop or phone out of your sight.

Tips on How to Protect Data When Traveling

Don’t ever leave your valuables unattended in a hotel room or car.
Lock them up in room hotel safe, even if you plan to be out of your room for just a few minutes.
Use a portable travel safe to secure them in a vehicle, hotel room or by the pool.
Transfer data to a flash drive or portable media device and lock it up.
Backup to the cloud regularly.
Carry your devices in a travel bag, day bag, or purse with anti-theft features.
Wear your bag crossbody style when in a crowd.

Physically protecting your devices is the number one data theft prevention activity. Regularly changing your passwords and updating your antivirus software are also good practices. Encryption is generally more reliable than passwords and should be used if the data is very sensitive to theft. Even if the data is lost, the thief will have a very hard time gaining access to it.

Lastly, before you leave home, make copies of all your important, irreplaceable files and store them safely at home, or even the cloud is now an important option too. A physical document organizer for your passport and credit cards will also come in handy.

Lastly, arrange your laptop and mobile phone data in such a way that it’s easier to backup and retrieve in case of loss like putting related documents in one folder. Make these practices habits and you’ll worry less, and enjoy your travels more.

Cell phone theft is something to be concerned about both at home and especially when traveling. Imagine losing your method of communication, photos, images of your passport stored on your phone, and other private information including all your contacts!

Watch these videos of cell phones being stolen. Learn from watching thefts so you don’t become a victim. After watching the videos read on for tips and advice for keeping your cell phone on your person and out of the hands of thieves and con artists.

These short videos captured actual cell phone thefts in action. See how easy it is to steal an expensive cell phone. Some of these cell phone theft videos show snatch and run thefts, and others you may have to watch a few times to see the exact moment a skilled distraction thief steals the victim’s phone while the thief is talking directly to the victim.

Video # 1 Fake petition – cell phone theft scam

Video # 2 Two female thieves stealing an iPhone from a restaurant table

Video # 3 Team of female pickpockets using a young 7-year-old child to steal an iPhone

Video # 4 Cell phone theft on a Hungarian subway

Here are a few tips to help keep your cell phone safe from theft while traveling

1. Know Your Surroundings

Situational awareness is very important when it comes to preventing the theft of cell phones. As you saw by many If you’re thinking of using your phone in a public place, take a look around. As you saw in the videos, cell phone thieves look for people who are not paying attention to their surroundings.

2. Cell Phone Anti-Theft Carry and Storage Options

Sometimes you need to safeguard your cell phone, but don’t know where to store it because you don’t want to carry a travel bag, purse, or you are wearing shorts or pants that don’t have pockets. Here are a few anti-theft cell phone bags and gear to help you keep your phone secure when it’s not in use.

At The Beach

When you’re at the beach, where can you store your phone? Consider one of a number of waterproof cell phone pouches that will do the trick. From waterproof waist packs, waterproof cell phone cases, waterproof neck, belt, or armbands will let you take your phone with you and keep it dry. If you don’t want to keep it on your person there are many secure options such as portable beach and pool safes, locking beach bags, as well as small portable safes that secure to your beach or lounge chair.

Cell Phone Security Pouches for When Your Pants or Shorts Don’t Have Pockets

If you don’t have pockets, and you don’t want to carry a purse or travel bag, you have several options to carry your cell phone and other small valuables. The Tube Wearable Waistband is a stretchy fabric waistband that you wear around your waist under your shirt and has several pockets that will hold your phone. Women have several cell phone security ideas to pick from, You can see ideal styles here.

If you don’t want to carry your phone in your pocket and want something a little more secure and not as visible, consider the Belt Loop Wallet, which is a pouch that you attach to your belt and wear it concealed in the inside of your pants.

In a press release from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) more stringent screening procedures for all incoming flights to the United States take effect today (10/26/17). The TSA is under the Department of Homeland Security. All passengers, both foreign and American citizens could face security interviews a U.S. government official said.

“The security measures affect all individuals, international passengers and U.S. citizens, traveling to the United States from the last point of departure international location,” said Lisa Farbstein, a spokeswoman for the TSA. “These new measures will impact all flights from airports that serve as last points of departure locations to the United States.”

She estimated the number of flights affected at around 2,100 daily. She also said it would include “heightened screening of personal electronic devices” and stricter security procedures around planes and in airport terminals.

The new practices could increase the time it takes to clear security screening, so contact your airline for guidance on how much time you should allow for passing through security to be sure you don’t miss your flight.

Read the full article at NBC News for information.

More Resources to Help You Get Through TSA Screening

Trusted traveler programs such TSA PreCheck can help get through screening quicker and keep your shoes on too. Enroll once and your membership is good for 5 years. Learn which trusted traveler program fits you best.
Take a few precautions before you go. Make sure you pack your carry-on luggage in accordance with the 3-1-1 liquids rule and keep electronics larger than a cell phone handy to be removed for inspection at screening. Also during popular travel times, like Thanksgiving check out the TSA wait times for specific airports to make sure you arrive at the airport in plenty of time.

If you want more clarity about what to expect prior to check-in at the airport, start with contacting the airline you’re flying with for guidance. Next, remember to leave yourself plenty of time for delays and your trip through the airport will be a lot smoother.

Tips for Avoiding Identity Theft While Traveling

When on vacation you are soaking in the scenery and new experiences and your guard may be completely down, even just temporarily. Criminals typically take advantage of tourist’s relaxed guard and tend to specifically target them. Stay ahead of thieves by taking a few precautions and don’t fall victim to identity theft when on vacation.

Identity thieves specifically target certain types of personal information including; name, credit and debit account numbers, Social Security number, date of birth, and driver’s license number, addresses, passport numbers etc. Fortunately, there are several things you can do during your travels to safeguard your personal information and ensure you aren’t amongst the next group of victims. Here is a list of a few tips to consider.

Before You Leave on Your Trip

Tell Your Bank and Credit Card Issuer Where and When You are Traveling

Before you leave on your trip, call and inform your bank and credit card companies you are going to be traveling. If possible, give them dates and destinations. Most institutions are happy to monitor your accounts, as they do not want to be liable for any stolen sums.

Use Pin Based ATM Cards Only

Use a pin-based ATM card only, rather than a check or debit card. Check and debit cards can be used without a pin to make purchases. This way if your card is compromised, it is worthless to the criminal and they won’t have direct access to all of your funds in your checking account. Protect your account even further by placing your cards in an RFID blocking card case.

Make Sure You Pack a Credit, not Debit Card

If you aren’t using cash while traveling, use a credit card instead of your debit card. If someone gets your debit card number you’ll likely lose all the money in your account, and the process of reversing the fraudulent charges can take a lot longer. If someone steals your credit card you’ll have an easier time recouping your losses, especially if you have an identity theft protection plan from your card holder.

Stop Your Mail

You may think it’s a great idea to simply have a neighbor pick up your mail while you’re out of town but if a thief is casing your neighborhood he’ll eventually figure out you aren’t home and beat your neighbors to the mailbox anyway. Go to the post office or on-line and stop your mail while you’re away. Your mail, which could include Social Security statements, pay stubs, and tons of other personal information, will be safe until you return. An alternative is to install a security mailbox where letters are dropped inside the steel box via a slot and the bulky junk mail is placed on a non-secure shelf. We have one and it is great for short trips.

Leave it at Home

Will you really need your checkbook and extra credit cards? Sanitize your wallet and remove anything and everything you will not be using on your trip.

Limit Bag Tag Information

Do you really need to put your full name and address on the luggage tags with steel loops you attach to your bags? Probably not. If someone gets a hold of your bag he’ll have your name and address AND he’ll know you’re not home. Put your name and phone number and leave it at that. An honest person will call you if he finds your bag. A thief won’t care either way but at least he won’t know where you live.

Bills, Bills, and More Bills

Pay your bills prior to departure for vacation. Do not take bills along with you; hotels are dangerous places to leave bills because the account information printed on them is readily available to anyone. This is a serious threat to your identity. Another tip that everyone should be doing with bills is to make sure old ones are shredded, rather than being tossed into the garbage – Always make sure you minimize your exposure to account information that you throw in the trash. Know that another breed of ID thieves sift through trash in search of these materials.

Do You Really Need to Be Connected While on Vacation?

Do you really need your laptop on a pleasure trip? If not, leave it at home. The world won’t end if you don’t check your email while lounging on the beach in Hawaii. If your laptop is the computer you use primarily it likely has a lot of personal information, including financial and passwords, and if it is lost or stolen you could easily become the victim of identity theft.

Forget Facebook

Never, under any circumstances, post a status on Facebook to let your friends know you’re on vacation. You wouldn’t put a sign on your front door announcing you’re away and, as such, you shouldn’t announce it to the Internet world. Someone who breaks into your house will have access to tons of identifying information. The same applies to MySpace, Twitter, and any other social networking service you use.

Keeping your Identity Secure While Traveling

Keep Track of Boarding Passes

Once you’re on a plane you might think your boarding pass is no longer important and, as such, inadvertently lose track of it. Put your used boarding pass right back in your purse, wallet, or carry-on. It has a lot of identifying information on it and if it falls into the wrong hands it will announce your absence from home.

Leave it in Your Hotel Room

When you are out an about, do you really need to carry certain documents with you or can they be left in your hotel room safe. Carry the money and credit card you need for the day. Leave your passport, extra traveler’s checks, and additional credit cards in your room safe to lower your risk of ID theft – carry only what you think you’ll need. If you do become a victim you’ll lose less and your attacker will have access to less information than if you were carrying all of your identifying information.

Is Your Laptop Up to Date?

If you take your computer with you, update your anti-spyware and anti-virus programs before you leave, as you will be connecting to possibly unsecured Internet connections, a haven for ID thieves. If you are using your computer on vacation, do not access your personal accounts from your hotel room or Internet café; publicly available Internet connections are a common source of identity theft. This is because they are generally unprotected signals with a high volume of usage.

Avoid ATM Machines

If you need money you are better off visiting a local bank than you are using an ATM machine in your destination country. Thieves constantly monitor ATM machines in an attempt to skim PIN numbers or blatantly take your cash after you’ve made a withdrawal. Check your surroundings, make sure the ATM doesn’t have any strange attachments above or below the card slot, make sure no one is nearby with a cell phone camera, and make sure you cover up the keypad as you type your code.

Use RFID Blocking Gear to Protect Your Identity

Most credit card companies now issue credit cards which contain Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology that lets you simply wave your credit card, passport or license in front of a nearby scanner instead of having to slide the magnetic stripe through it. It’s a fairly simple concept. The electronic scanner sends a signal which is received by an antenna embedded into the card, which is connected to the card’s RF chip, thus activating it. The information transmitted is personal identity and financial information.

This technology allows an RF-enabled card to be “hi-jacked” by tech-savvy identity thieves who use hand-held scanner devices. By standing close to you in a crowd the device can read and capture your data.

To protect your RFID enabled credit cards and passport cards, you should travel with RFID blocking wallet or RFID blocking sleeves to protect your identity Click here, to see RFID blocking wallets and document organizers.

Never Let Your Card Out of Sight

Another great way to avoid identity theft is to never let your credit card go out of your line of eyesight. If the waiter, or gas station attendant, or concierge (or anyone else), has to leave your line of vision the odds of him running your card twice and only giving you one receipt are significantly increased. They might even simply make a photocopy or take a cell phone picture of your card for later use. It can and does happen.

Your vacation should be a dream come true – not a nightmare. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees that your identity will not be stolen while traveling. Even the most diligent and conscious people become victimized by ID theft. Know that most thieves are lazy, and will take what is easy to access over what they must work harder for- use that to your advantage by staying ahead of the game.

Stay Informed Before You Go with Our Information-Rich Newsletter

While London tops many traveler’s lists as one of their must-see cities to visit in Europe, certain London’s subway lines are tops with pickpockets. The busier the station or line is with travelers the busier it is with pickpockets. Make sure you are safe from pickpockets while using the London Underground or Tube so you don’t waste precious vacation time in a police station making a crime report, obtaining new ID or passport, or getting new credit cards lost to the thieves.

Watch Out for Pickpockets on Certain London Subway Lines

Watch Out for Pickpockets on London Subway Lines

In a recent report released by the British Transport Police, several specific underground Tube lines were identified as the top pickpocket victimization locations where passengers are being targeted by pickpocket gangs. Obviously, the Tube’s busiest lines and stations are the ones most likely to have higher incidents of theft by pickpockets than quieter lines.

The report also shows the subway stations where London subway pickpockets are most active and unsurprisingly they are the tourist hot-spots. Of interesting note, the report also lists the sex of the victims and pointed out that if you’re a woman you are more likely to fall victim to subway pickpocket, as 1247 females were pick-pocketed last year compared to 1116 men. The London subway pickpocket figures were obtained by IBTimes UK from Freedom of Information requests revealed British Transport Police recorded 15,635 offenses across the Underground as well as Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and Overground services.

Travelers using London’s Central Line to get around central London are more likely to fall prey to thieves than on any other route on the London Underground.

The Solution – Stop Pickpockets Before They Ruin Your Trip!

Use anti-theft wallets, bags and other clever gear to thwart pickpockets. It should be pointed out that overall, the crime rate on the London Underground has fallen in recent years – down from 17,828 in 2012 and 19,223 in 2013 – to 15,635 in 2014, however, the locations which were outlined in the report are ones that all travelers should be aware of when visiting London and traveling on the subway. For a detailed report on London Tube pickpockets, read this report.

London, England, is known for pickpockets working the crowds for as long as they have had their underground tube.

Since a majority of pickpocketing occurs in their subway system, the British Transport Police has put together a series of short videos that alert travelers to the most common types of thefts that you would fall victim to in the UK.

These videos are very well done and should be viewed by anyone who is going anywhere pickpockets are known to show their trade. Here is the pickpocket video link that has additional information.

London Transport Police Videos

Pickpocket Tactics Video – The Stall

Pickpocket Tactics Video – The Concealed Hand

Pickpocket Tactics Video – The Easy Dip

Pickpocket Tactics Video -The Helpful Stranger

Pickpocket Tactics Video – The Distraction

Pickpocket Tactics Video – The Diversion

Pickpocket Tactics Video – Luggage Lifters

Pickpocket Tactics Video – The Snatchers

Pickpocket Tactics Video – The Blind Spot

Pickpocket Tactics Video – The Sleeper

Pickpocket Tactics Video – The Plucker

Pickpocket Tactics Video – The Helpful Stranger

Pickpocket Tactics Video – The Grabber

Pickpocket Tactics Video – The Early Bird

If you use so-called ‘free’ Wi-Fi networks while at your favorite cafe or while traveling, you might get more than you bargained for. Protect yourself – and your identity – with these simple tips. You’re sitting in an airport lounge and seize the chance to check your e-mails before your flight departs. You log on and are tempted by a wireless Internet provider offering free Internet access. So, do you take it?

Security experts warn that hackers may be masquerading as free public Wi-Fi providers to gain access to the laptops of unsuspecting travelers. All it takes, they say, is a computer program downloaded from the Internet, an open access point and a user who has ignored basic security advice. The difficulty for travelers is differentiating between a good Internet access hotspot and a rogue, or somebody trying to actually glean credentials from you. The issue is that you don’t necessarily know the difference between a good and a bad one.

This could happen in a number of ways, but one of the sneakiest is a “rogue” Wi-Fi network that look like a free alternative to your hotel’s $10 to $15/day rate. In other words, tech-savvy thieves are taking advantage of your thirst for constant connectivity – and desire to save a few bucks.

The basic idea is someone in the vicinity has created a ‘free Wi-Fi network’ that you connect to, but in doing so, you’re allowing them to tap into your info, access your files and possibly steal your personal identity too. These rogue networks are really individuals who have software to hack into your systems — and because the majority of people’s laptops are not protected, they’re a lot more susceptible than they think.

In fact, a software tool has been developed that demonstrates the risk of unprotected wireless networks. This software tool acts as a promiscuous access point that masquerades itself as a wireless network. It makes the victim connect to our rogue wireless network automatically.

Rogue operators will often craft network names similar to the name of the hotel or the coffee shop where your end user is attempting to connect. One careless click and your data is exposed. Scary stuff. So, what to do? You’ve got your work cut out for you, and it starts with awareness, say the experts. So consider these following steps:

Whenever possible, avoid free public Wi-Fi networks. When a traveler goes to a hotel, they should make sure they have a wired [Ethernet] connection.

Be efficient. If you can’t resist a free public Wi-Fi network, get on, get what you need and get off — and don’t do any financial things until you’re back at home. It also doesn’t hurt to ask the establishment (such as a coffee shop) if the “StarbucksFree123″ network is really theirs before logging on.
Use VPN. Only use free public Wi-Fi if you have VPN (Virtual Private Network) access – otherwise, everything you do can be easily monitored by anyone nearby. Travelers should be aware that a new software program exists call “FireSheep” which can easily capture your passwords when you use public WiFi networks. Anyone with bad intentions capable of following a few simple online instructions can install a simple “Firesheep” Firefox plug-in, and then join an open wireless network nearby. Firesheep would then reveal who else is on that network that have visited unencrypted websites, which just so happens to include Facebook and Twitter, two of the most popular destinations on the web today. Firesheep is an extension for the Firefox browser that can grab your login credentials for sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
BYOC (Bring Your Own Connection). Another option is to use WAN-enabled laptops, USB sticks with cellular connectivity or to create a mobile hotspot through your smartphone or tablet.
Use security software. And make sure all security software is updated regularly, enable firewalls and even consider using tools to encrypt sensitive data (there are many free options available, too).
Only through education, secured connections, and some common sense can you keep your personal and professional data safe from cyber-snoopers, waiting to attack through a free public Wi-Fi.

Emergencies while traveling abroad can come in all shapes and sizes, from a natural disaster to political upheaval, an accident or illness to becoming the victim of crime. Not many people like to think of these possibilities before they travel, but some basic preparation for a potential emergency will make your trip a lot easier should the worst really occur.

To help you get organized for safe travel in the event of an emergency abroad we have put together the questionnaire below. Simply answer “yes” or “no” to each question and then total your answers to find out if you are prepared for an emergency abroad.

Answer the Following Questions With Yes or No

1. Do you leave a copy of your itinerary with a friend or relative when you travel?
2. Do you check the Department of State website for travel advisories before you make plans?
3. Do you keep a photocopy of your passport identification page in a separate location from your passport?
4. Do you travel with contact information for the nearest US embassies or consulates?
5. Do you travel with a basic first aid kit and a good supply of your prescription medications?
6. Do you learn the telephone number for a country’s emergency services while abroad?
7. Do you keep your passport, computer, cash and credit cards in a safe when you travel?
8. Do you keep up with local weather forecasts while you travel abroad?
9. Do you travel with at least two forms of photo identification?
10. Do you arrange for adequate travel and health insurance cover before you travel abroad?
11. Do you travel with city maps so that you can locate hospitals and police stations if needed?
12. Do you register with the Department of State before traveling abroad?

Are You Prepared For An Emergency Abroad?

If you answered “yes” to between one and four questions then you are not well prepared for an emergency abroad. It may be that you don’t want to have to do any work before traveling overseas, or you feel that you already have enough to carry without worrying about emergency “supplies”, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. A little extra work before you leave will mean that you can set your mind at ease while you travel. Better to be prepared and not have an emergency than to have an emergency and not be prepared. At the very least use the questions above as a guide for preparing for safe travels before your next trip.

If you answered “yes” to between five and eight questions then you are somewhat prepared for an emergency abroad. You understand the importance of setting yourself up for a safe trip, but you may not feel that you need to get too excited about emergency preparedness. Nothing could be further from the truth. Your travels could go from dream to nightmare in just a few minutes, but with the proper preparations, an emergency does not need to mean the end of a happy holiday. Look over the questions to which you answered “no” and concentrate on changing these to “yes” answers the next time you travel overseas.

If you answered “yes” to nine or more questions then you are well prepared for an emergency abroad. However, unless you answered “yes” to each question there are still further steps you can take to protect yourself while traveling overseas. While it’s appropriate to pat yourself on the back for your emergency preparedness don’t forget that you must prepare for each and every trip overseas and that you might pick up extra tips and tricks while you travel as well. Every time you learn something new, build it into your preparations for the next trip – and don’t forget to share your handy hints with friends and family too!