Brits abroad leave themselves exposed to identity theft

Holidaymakers planning their summer holiday are warned to be extra vigilant with their personal information and belongings.

New research from Capital One reveals that nearly half (45%) of us don’t use the safes provided in hotels - with the majority of us leaving our passports and personal documents lying around hotel rooms and apartments or carrying them around with us whilst out and about.

Given this, it’s not surprising that nearly 300,000 of us either lost or had our passport stolen last year. By being so careless abroad with our important documents we are leaving ourselves open and vulnerable to theft that can ultimately lead to holidaymakers’ identities being stolen.

Although some of us take some very basic steps to keep our belongings safe such as hiding passports in our hotel rooms (20%) or keeping them on us at all times (34%), pickpockets are common in holiday resorts and unscrupulous hotel staff unfortunately do exist - leaving us as easy targets for opportunistic thieves. Thieves who are able to piece together our identities from the nuggets of information from our personal documents, cards and passports.

Sanjiv Yajnik, Principal Managing Director, Capital One says: “Holidays are a relaxing and enjoyable time, but can also be a time when we forget the basic safety rules that we’d always follow when at home - leaving us open to theft. Although cash and jewellery are always easy items for thieves to steal, many canny criminals are now focusing on personal information so that they can steal a holidaymaker’s identity.”

He continued: “Unsuspecting holidaymakers may return home to find accounts set up in their name, transactions they know nothing about on their bank statements or further activity in their name that they are unaware of.”

Reinforcing how vulnerable British tourists are abroad, Professor Martin Gill, a Criminologist from Perpetuity, a division of the University of Leicester added: “Given the insights provided by identity fraudsters, it is unwise that so many of us are not taking the basic precautions to keep our passports and personal documents safe when abroad. I’m sure not many of us would leave our ipods or wallets lying around our apartments and hotel rooms, yet people seem to forget that passports and personal documents could be worth far more to fraudsters.

“I have spoken to victims of identity fraud and they report that it is a distressing time and in the worst cases can become a serious invasion of privacy. I would strongly urge everyone to take all the steps they can this summer to minimise the risks of losing or having their personal information stolen.”

In a bid to help combat the rise of ID theft, Capital One is encouraging holidaymakers to take a few simple safety precautions to keep their identities safe whilst abroad.

Top tips for keeping your identity safe this summer include:

Inform your bank if you intend on being away from the UK for a long period of time

Ensure your post is dealt with securely whilst you are abroad, Royal Mail offers a
Keepsafe service

Use the safe boxes provided in hotel rooms

If you do want to carry your documents with you, use a concealed travel pouch, a money belt or make sure you hold your bag firmly alongside your body

Do not keep your cheque book and plastic cards together

Take two photocopies of your passport before heading off on holiday - leave one with a relative or friend and take the other with you, keeping the copy separate from the original

Try not to let your credit card out of your sight in places like restaurants and shops

If driving, don’t leave bags or wallets in-view of opportunistic thieves that could open your car door in slow traffic

Keep your passport and personal documents with you when travelling to your destination in a hidden and zipped off section of your hand luggage

If you are unexpectedly asked to handover your passport, be wary. Immigration officials and hotel reception staff may legitimately ask to see your passport, but if a request seems suspicious or unnecessary, check with your travel operator or the British Consulate

If your passport is stolen or lost while abroad, report it straight away to the local police and get in touch with the nearest British Consulate or Embassy for further advice. The

British Consul can issue an emergency passport if necessary

Once home, check your bank and credit card statements for any unusual activity