We all look forward to vacation time and we are taking more and more technology items with us when we travel. Smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, laptops, gaming devices and other gear. Criminals know this and target travelers.
Our smartphones are mini-computers that contain all of our personal information. The same is true for our tablets and laptops. If a thief steals these items or they are lost, it can be disastrous, leading to identity theft and the theft of sensitive personal and financial information.
When people are out of their normal environment and away from home, they are more vulnerable to theft and loss.

Let’s talk about how you should prepare for vacation and what steps you can take to protect yourself from cyber criminals.

• Take only necessary items.
• Before leaving home make a copy of all documents that you are taking with you, credit cards, driver’s license, passports and anything else of value. Copy the front and back of each item. You can also scan them to your computer so that you have a digital copy. If one of more of those items is lost or stolen you will need the information contained in those documents to report the loss and apply for new copies.
• Make a list of everything you are packing and taking with you. If loss or theft does happen you will need to know exactly what you had in order to report the loss.
• Be sure that any electronic devices you take along are protected with a password or passcode.
• Secure your bags with luggage locks.

• Think about the bags you will carry with you on daily outings. Purses and wallets are prime targets for thieves. Don’t carry your wallet in your back pocket, instead secure it in a front or inside pocket with a zipper. Instead of an over the shoulder purse consider a bag that you can carry around your waist or place your item in a secure pocket. Backpacks are an easy target for thieves. You might also consider an antitheft purse, bag or wallet. Anti-Theft Purses & Wallets

• Use a password manager on your devices and save anything confidential in the password manager. These programs are not just useful for passwords but other sensitive and private information as well. KeePass Password Safe

• Don’t save your username, password and other sensitive information in your web browser.
• Public Wi-Fi is very dangerous, if you must connect to public Wi-Fi don’t use it for anything confidential like banking, bill payments or email. Connect using your data plan instead. If you do not have an unlimited data plan, consider purchasing extra data for the trip, or contact your carrier and inquire about a mobile hotspot to take along.
• Never leave your smartphone or other devices unattended even if they are right next to you. Keep your smartphone in a zipped pocket or other secure location.

• Don’t leave valuable items in a car or hotel room.

• Take only the credit cards you absolutely need. Don’t carry a debit card, they do not offer the same protection as a credit card does in the event of theft and fraudulent charges.
• Enable multi-factor authentication for all online accounts.
• Encrypt the data on your smartphone and other devices. Encryption ensures your data cannot be read or used if your device is lost or stolen.
• Backup everything before you leave. If a device is lost or stolen you will want a recent back so that you can recover your data.
• Enable find my phone or find my device. That way if your device is lost or stolen you may be able to locate it.
• You might also consider enabling the feature to remotely wipe your devices of personal information if it turns up missing.
• Turn off auto-connect for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
• Don’t post your travel plans on social media. Thieves scan social media sites and if you are advertising that your home will be unoccupied it is just an invitation for criminals. Same goes for posting vacation updates and pictures while you are away. If you must post your vacation information wait until you return. Even then it is best to limit what you share on social media.
• Consider using a cheap, pre-paid cell phone when traveling and leave your personal phone at home.
• When leaving a location such as a restaurant, airplane, bus, cab, cruise ship, hotel or anywhere else stop and check that you have all of your belongings with you. Many items are lost or left behind when traveling. It pays to take a few extra minutes to double check. Make a list of all of the items you take on your trip. Use that list when you depart from a location to check off each item and verify that you have them.
• Many hotels and other locations offer business centers where you can log into a computer or connect to Wi-Fi. It is best to avoid using these but if you must use them never use a public computer for anything confidential even email or online shopping. Data is easily compromised on public computers and they can contain malware and keyloggers used to steal your personal information. And anything you do over public Wi-Fi is open to hackers and thieves.
• Install antivirus software on your smartphone and other devices and keep it up to date.
• If you leave items behind at a hotel while you are out for the day lock anything valuable in the hotel safe and purchase a safe lock like this one from Amazon that only you have the key to Milockie Hotel Safe Lock

Vacations should be fun. If you prepare ahead of time and take safety precautions, you can avoid unnecessary problems.

Calling for Support

If you are having trouble with a device, try going to the manufacturer’s website and then to the troubleshooting/support section. You may be able to find the information you need there to solve the problem yourself. If a manufacture is aware of a problem with their product, they may post information about the issue on their website.

Check the warranty status before placing the phone call. You can find the warranty information on the product itself or in the documentation that came with the product. Most manufacturers have a warranty lookup tool on their site.

If you do need to call for support, log all of the details about the call. The date and time you placed the call, the phone number you used, the name and ID number of the person you talked to, what troubleshooting steps were taken during the call, any phone numbers or addresses you may need if you are returning the product, case or ticket numbers and anything else of relevance.  If you are sending the product back for replacement or repair log all of the information related to the return such as what shipper will be used, who pays for shipping, how should the product be packaged for shipping, what items should be included in the shipment and how long the expected turn over time will be. Ask for a tracking number so that you can track the shipment online.

If you are calling for technical support for a product have the serial number, product number and the make and model number ready. If you have the receipt for the product have that on hand as well. The receipt will show the place of purchase, date of purchase and the cost.

If you are calling for technical support for a computer, laptop, tablet, phone, printer or other electronic device, be sure you have the device in front of you. When you call for support, the technician will most likely walk you through troubleshooting steps over the phone. Tell them about any error messages you have received.

Know what operating system and what version of the operating system you are using if applicable. If you are calling about a specific program know the name and version number of the program. Tell them when the problem started and what troubleshooting steps you may have already taken.

It is easy to become frustrated when calling for support but be polite. Generally, if you are kind the person you are speaking with will be more willing to help. If you don’t get the answers you need ask to be transferred to a supervisor or the next level of support.