South Snohomish County Crime Watch Hot Sheet: VACATION CRIME PREVENTION– Protecting Yourself While You Are On Your Get Away

As more people get COVID vaccines and more venues, restaurants, theaters, etc. open up and plan to open up, more and more people are also making plans to take a vacation. While on your relaxing trip, there are physical things you can do to protect yourself and your property. But more and more, there are things that we need to do to protect ourselves from identity theft and scams.

Some physical things to do before your vacation and on your vacation include,

• Let someone know where you are going, the route you plan to take, when you plan to arrive and how to contact you. If you deviate from that plan, let someone know.

• Make sure your house appears “lived-in” when you are away. Lock all doors and windows, set household lights (inside and out) on timers.

• Trim your hedges and bushes so thieves cannot have a place to hide out.

• Have a car parked in your driveway to make it appear as if someone is home.

• Have a neighbor pick up your mail and newspapers while you are away or have your mail held at the post office and have the newspaper hold delivery until you get back.

• Always lock your car doors. Keep valuables out of sight, preferably in the trunk of your car.

• Never pick up hitchhikers.

• Park in well-lighted areas and close to the building.

• Do not stop alongside the road if possible. If your car is bumped from behind or if someone indicates there is something wrong with your car, go to a service station or a well-lighted, populated area and call for help.

• Fill the gas tank before dark; lock your car doors and roll up your windows if you step away from the car for any reason.

• Use all hotel locks and other security devices, even when you’re in your room.

• Store valuables in the room safe or in the facility’s main safe.

• Don’t tell strangers the name of your hotel, your room number, or other personal information.

• Guard your room keys. Don’t leave them unattended or visible at restaurants, the pool, or clubs.

• Don’t prop open your door or open your door to strangers. Use the peep hole before opening the door.

• Don’t leave your purse or bags unattended at hotel buffets or lounges.

Some steps you can take to protect the devices that you take with you, such as your smartphone and a tablet or laptop computer, and your identity, include,

• Lock down your account with strong, unique passwords, two factor authentication, biometrics, etc.

• Make sure all devices that you take with you are password protected and/or use biometrics to gain access.

• Set up “find my phone” features to find a lost device, to have the capability to wipe the data off of the device or disable it should it get into the wrong hands.

• If you use someone else’s computer, like at an airport, hotel, or internet café, don’t share information. Keep your online activity as generic as possible. If you do log into one of your accounts, like email, be sure to “logout;” clicking the “x” does not log you out of your accounts.

• Be savvy about Wi-Fi hotspots. Do not transmit personal information or make purchases over an unsecured network such as over an airport Wi-Fi. Use a VPN or your phone as a hotspot.

• Protect your devices. Be sure they are with you at all times. At a hotel, lock them in the room safe or in your luggage. When using your device in an internet café or the airport don’t leave it unattended.

• Manage location services on your apps. They can expose your location to others. Turn them off when not in use.

United States Postal Service:

https://www.usps.com/manage/hold-mail.htm

National Cyber Security Alliance:

https://staysafeonline.org/resource/safety-tips-travelers/

https://staysafeonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CyberTrip-Advisor_-Vacation.pdf

AARP Fraud Watch Network:

This podcast shows how scammers took advantage of a professional looking for a vacation rental to help with her recovery from breast cancer.

https://www.aarp.org/podcasts/the-perfect-scam/info-2021/vacation-home-scam.html

Federal Trade Commission:

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0079-rental-listing-scams

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2021/06/hello-summer-goodbye-scammers