Traveller tips

Posted in 'Identity Theft' by Barry Stamp

06 January 2012

Canadian Martin Reisch claims that he managed to get through the painfully stringent US border controls using a scan of his passport on his iPad. He forgot his passport, and puts the unusual flexibility offered by US Customs and Border staff down to seasonal goodwill.

American border agency officials stringently deny that access to the US was permitted because of the iPad image, and say that they relied instead on other means of identification, such as his driving licence.

It's unlikely that anyone else will able to rely on using an iPad scan to get through Passport Control in any country, but the principle of keeping a copy is a very sound one.

Travellers should take a photo of the details page of their passport, driving licence and also of the front and back of all credit cards taken abroad with them. Then, if a wallet or purse or passport or driving licence is lost or stolen, you have the details readily at hand to help you to take the necessary action to stop the credit cards and start the process of getting duplicate identification.

It's important though to make sure that the images you take with your smart phone or iPad are properly encrypted, and not just password protected. Apps that enable this include My Eyes Only and Private Photos.

There are more helpful tips for travellers in our industry acclaimed handbook, Identity Theft and Victim Assistance. You can download this to your Kindle or to a Kindle app on any smartphone - it costs less than £1 and will be one of the best pounds that you have ever spent if you find yourself in strife with a lost or stolen passport when abroad.