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Is your ID taking a holiday too?

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Everybody has a pre-holiday checklist. We organise pet-sitting and plant-watering, switch off the gas and water and warn the neighbours to keep an eye on our homes. But it's easy to forget to take some equally important precautions - an oversight that could put your identity at riskof ID theft. Take this simple quiz to find out whether you're as safe as you think while you're enjoying your summer break.

1. Before you go, do you:

  • Leave your home looking a mess, with your post flung onto the nearest surface. There isn't time to tidy up.
  • Check that any personal documents, such as bank and credit card statements, are neatly filed away. You don't want a panic looking for things when you return.
  • Lock away any documents that a thief might find useful and arrange for a friend or neighbour to collect your post and keep it safe in your absence.

2. Do you take with:

  • All your credit cards, your cheque book and your driving licence. Its a habit.
  • Only the essentials theres no point bringing stuff you don't need and might lose.
  • The basics plus photocopies of your passport, cards and driving licence, which you keep separately in your hand baggage in case the originals are lost or stolen. Youve left a spare set with friends, too.

    • As you arrive at your resort, do you:

  • Throw your boarding pass into the nearest bin, along with the outbound travel documents. You won't be needing them now.
  • Put everything into a travel wallet, in case you need it later. What if the airline has damaged your bags and you havent yet noticed?
  • Make a mental note to take them home and shred them. These things could contain enough information for a thief to know that you're away from home or even to steal your ID.

    • You've had a great meal out, when the bill comes do you:

  • Flip your credit card over without wondering why the waiter needs to take it away for quite so long.
  • Ask the waiter to bring the slip to you to sign, or follow him to the cash desk to input your PIN, but don't bother to check that youre not being over-looked.
  • Keep an eye on your card the whole time and ensure that you have the correct copies of all the receipts and bills. Theyre coming home with you, so you can check your statement properly.

    • When you get home, do you:

  • File all your receipts, ticket stubs and other bits of paper in the bin.
  • Leave everything in your travel wallet. Youll get round to sorting it out later.
  • Put aside your bills and receipts so that you can check them against your bank and credit card statements, then shred everything you no longer need.

    • Your answers

    Mostly (a):Your ID could have taken a holiday!

    You've made it easy for somebody to steal your ID and build up debts in your name, simply by helping themselves to your post and financial papers or fishing your travel data out of a bin. What's worse, your finances are so disorganised it could take you months to find out. Check your credit report as soon as you get home, to ensure that everything is as it should be. This is your personal financial history, detailing your credit cards, loans and mortgages - so it will tell you immediately if somebody has borrowed your ID to apply for credit. You also need to look at bank and credit card statements carefully - and keep on checking your credit report to keep abreast of any changes.

    Mostly (b): Time to start a new regime

    You've got the general idea but ID theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in Britain, so you need to check your bank and card statements, especially after a holiday. As part of this new regime, you should also look regularly at your credit report - the personal financial history that lenders consult when they decide whether to offer you a loan, mortgage or credit card. Make sure everything is up to date and accurately reflects your situation - and keep an eye out for applications you didn't make. They could indicate an attempted ID fraud.

    Mostly (c): Safe as houses - maybe

    You take all the sensible precautions when you're away - but do you check your credit report regularly when you're at home? Even the most organised people can have their wallet stolen or their mail intercepted, so it makes sense to keep an eye on your financial history to ensure that everything is as it should be. A once-a-year visit isn't enough, because your credit report changes - for example, every new application or when you finish paying off what you owe.

    23 June 2006 © Moneyextra.com

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