Prevent your passport from being stolen: 6 tips from U.S. crime experts

▲ Six Tips to Prevent Passport Loss (Photo / Dagchi / Illustration)

By Rita

When traveling abroad, besides worrying about pickpockets, the next biggest fear is losing your passport.

According toa report by the UK’s Independent, nearly 20,000 British passports were lost in 2014. Although protecting your passport may not be the top concern for travelers, anyone who has lost one knows it can ruin your entire trip and waste a lot of time and money. James Friedman, a crime expert at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs (FCO), has shared insights from years of observation on this issue to help avoid such inconveniences.

Friedman suggests that instead of carrying your passport around, it’s better to leave it in your hotel,unless you really need it. Be particularly wary of signs that say “Beware of Pickpockets,” because seeing them often makes people unconsciously start checking if their valuables are still in place — which just tips off pickpockets watching from the shadows. Here are six essential tips for protecting your passport:

1. Be aware of your surroundings
2. Be cautious of strangers showing interest in you
3. If possible, lock your passport in a secure place
4. If you must carry it with you, don’t flash it
5. Make copies — leave one with family or friends, carry another with you, or save an electronic version
6. Before you travel, leave emergency contact information with your family or friends

★ The image is a copyrighted photo provided exclusively to ETtoday Eastday News Cloud by Dagchi Images. No website, newspaper, or TV station may reproduce any part or all of it without permission from Dagchi Images.