Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Avoid Email Away Messages & Other Safe Travel Secrets

I've recently returned from a family vacation to celebrate the 50th Wedding Anniversary of my parents. Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!!!

While we were traveling, my mom shared her stash of Bottom Line Personal publications with me and I came across this bit of safe travel advice in a February 15, 2006 issue. The tips are from Randall Spivey, director of Safe Travel Institute, http://www.yoursafepassage.com/. My favorite tips are the suggestions about traveling with two wallets and skipping the standard "away on vacation" automatic email notice that are common on our home and work accounts. Here are the tips:

  • Travel with two wallets: Carry around a second wallet packed with expired credit cards and a small sum of cash. If -- heaven forbid -- your mugged, hand over the wallet with the expired cards and the tiny wad to the thieves. (I imagine that you would still have to worry about identity theft, however.)
  • Leave costly jewelry at home.
  • Request hotel rooms on floors 2 through 7. The rationale: Ground level rooms are easier targets for thieves, but lower floors are easier for fire truck rescues during a fire.
  • Skip the away message. Email and voice messages that announce your vacation absence or return date can make you a magnet for criminals. You don't want your automatic email responses to offer too much information."Thieves who send an email to your account and receive the automatic response may use your email address to figure out where you live and then rob your home while you are away," according to MastermindLounge.com as quoted in a Feb. 15, 2006 issue of Bottom Line Personal. Security experts recommend generic information on work or home voice and email accounts.
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Book Shop of Fear
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1 comment:

Nasir's Mom said...

Wow. I never thought about that re: email away messages. I've done it at work but not with my personal email.