When you take your laptop with you everywhere you go, there are a number of instances when you put your laptop down and it is out of your immediate control, especially when you are traveling. With convention season upon the Realtor, it's a good time to review travel and airport safety for your belongings.

Airports are a haven for criminals. Even with tightened security, thieves are still targeting the distracted and weary traveler. In addition to securing your laptop, your luggage and carry-ons are targeted for theft. Consider going into a rest-room stall, how cumbersome it is when you are overloaded with belongings. Thieves actually target travelers in the stall!

Here are some tips from the Transportation Security Administration(TSA) to pack, travel and keep your laptop safe, especially while traveling in airports.

• Do your best to travel light. Anywhere in an airport, a restaurant or the rest-room, the TSA requires by law that everything you have with you needs to be at your side at all times.
• When booking your reservation, get a seat at the front of the plane so you can get to baggage claim quickly. That’s because luggage is either carried on, lost, or stolen, or, if you are lucky, waiting at baggage claim.
• Store your carry-on luggage across the aisle instead of over your head. You want to keep an eye on it. Otherwise someone can easily go into the overhead bin and remove your belongings. Never put a pocketbook under the seat. The person behind you can remove a credit card and you might not know it for a couple of days.
• When riding in a shuttle bus, don’t let your luggage leave your side no matter what. The rear compartment can be opened while the bus is stopped at a traffic light. People are constantly getting on and off the bus at different stops just to steal luggage.
• Because tags fall off or get ripped off, put your contact information in your luggage. In case a bag gets lost, someone who recovers it will be able to forward it to you. Tape a label with your contact information to the top of your laptop.
• Place any baggage, laptops, or briefcases on the counter in front of you when you stand at rental car, hotel, and airport ticket counters. If you put these at your feet to the left, right, or behind you, you become a prime target for distraction thieves. For example: a very emotional person walks up to you while you are waiting for the clerk at the counter, asks you how to get to the Alamo, and then starts to cry. In the confusion, an accomplice sneaks up behind you and removes the laptop that you placed on the floor next to you.
• Don’t take your eyes off your belongings while they are going through security or screening checkpoints. This is a prime location for distraction thieves to steal laptops, pocketbooks, and briefcases. Once you put your belongings on the movable belt, one thief distracts you from immediately going through the metal detector by either dropping a handful of change, causing a scene, clipping a metal object to the back of your coat that will cause a delay, or saying, “Hey, don’t I know you?”— anything to keep you from going through the metal detector for 30 seconds while the accomplice walks through clean and picks up your belongings. If you become distracted for an instant your valuables are gone! Even though police officers and security are present at checkpoints, distraction crimes still occur.
• Never leave your bags unattended. They can be stolen or confiscated. It happens every day. Rarely, but worse, someone looking for the opportunity could hide bombs or drugs in your bags.
• Put all electronics, cash, jewelry, medicine, and important papers in your carry-on luggage.
• Ignore other people arguing and strangers who are overly friendly. These could be staged distractions to make it easier for a thief or pickpocket to rob you. Be alert to anyone in the airport paying undue attention to you. Be aware of any contact with others, even if it is a good deed they are doing. They could be setting you up.

Published: July 25, 2002

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