Phillips: More tips for traveler protection

Today's column concludes last week's security measures that pretty much guarantee any trips away from home stay enjoyable and, perhaps even more essential, safe and sound.

* Shred that card key. When checking in to a hotel, sshhh the desk clerk before he says your room number aloud. At checkout, do not hand over the electronic room keys nor leave them in the room. A dishonest staff member or unscrupulous

guests can access personal information from the magnetic strip and there goes your identity down the drain. Take all the card keys home and make that home shredder work overtime.

* Omit traveling with unnecessary valuables. Just as experts warned last week to leave most of your credit cards at home, the same rule applies to expensive jewelry and other treasures.

While I love to wear my pretties, I am, as you may recall, pretty paranoid, enough so that several years ago I bought a bunch of faux pieces to wear on vacations.

My poor husband wonders aloud why I take a chance on getting knocked in the head for fakes, to which I retort, "At least the grandchildren can wear the real stuff to my funeral!."

Kidding aside, though, authorities who deal with precautionary measures advise the same with regards to precious items while traveling.

* Though not jewelry, an expensive laptop is certainly a "valuable" that needs safeguarding. How many times do travelers leave laptops, cameras, video recorders, DVD players, and so forth in their rooms without thinking of the consequences? Unfortunately, it only takes a single dishonest employee to scoop up each and all. Worse, any private information may be all too easily accessed by a computer whiz who's also a crook. How quickly can you shriek "identity theft"?

* If you must travel with certain valuables, then label each one. Actually, labeling is a great idea for all home possessions, such as televisions, etc. If an item is "misplaced," Kevin Coffey, a Los Angeles detective and founder of Corporate Travel Safety (www.corporatetravelsafety.com) provides a wealth of information), tells us items often are returned if contact information is marked.

* Don't access any financial or sensitive data while on the road. Spyware and other such hostile programs -- manned by your favorite scam artists -- may have compromised the computer enough to snatch passwords and records.

* In airports, hotels or any other public place, travelers should recognize what appeals most to criminals. It's laptop computers, with cell-phone theft on the rise. Professionals advise to keep possessions always in sight and be aware of our surroundings. Coffey warns not to be misled by stereotypes.

"The majority of travelers think of criminals as ill-kept, scraggly individuals," he says. "But in public places, their objective is to blend in." Don't be afraid to look strangers in the eye, no matter their appearance and always follow your gut instinct. It's better to be safe and embarrassed than sorry and injured.

* P.S. to June 27 column regarding nursing homes: Even better than government Web sites, http://citehealth.com/nursing-homes is the best, with the most specific data per state, locality and facility. In fact, this site reveals "secrets" the powers that be really prefer remain hidden from the public's eye.

Ellen Phillips is a retired English teacher who has written two consumer-oriented books. Her Consumer Watch column appears on Saturdays in the Business section of the paper. An expanded version is at www.timesfreepress.com under Local Business.