There have been a number of threads about securing your home while away on a trip. My question is what do you do about securing your important documents like income tax records, bank statements, and anything that my contain lots of important info that someone could use to steal your identity. For example, we are supposed to keep everything associated with our income taxes for 7 years (at least). To hold my 7 years of records I use two large file boxes so I can't put them in my safe deposit box at the bank. I have been asking my son to keep them at his house while we are away. What do you do? BTW, we have a lockbox bolted in our TT that we keep things in while on the road.

I am more worried about problems on the road than about this stuff.I do not do anything special

Buy a fire safe. I have one like this http://www.libertysafe.com/build_review.php.It's fire rated for 60 minutes which should be plenty if you live in a decent size city with a quick fire department. I have 4 large lag bolts into my floor joists. It's a heavy safe and has a digital keypad with a key override. Made in the USA with a lifetime warranty. Can't beat that. I bought mine at Lowes but I don't think they sell them anymore.

What do you do with them when you are:At work?At friends?Out for the evening?At the park/lake/day trip?Nothing......

My question is what do you do about securing your important documents like income tax records, bank statements, and anything that my contain lots of important info that someone could use to steal your identity. I carry 2 credit cards in case one gets locked down. And a list of phone numbers in case phone become lost or stolen. Not that concerned about ID theft as every few would want to become me

Have you check the crime rate n NM??? It's higher than being in YOUR RV> I don't worry about stuff like other people. S happens. JMO

Security While On Long Trip | Good Sam Community

tenbear
Explorer
Nov 21, 2014
Like some others, we have a safe bolted to the floor.
down_home
Explorer II
Nov 21, 2014
We've decided to have a house sitter, when and if the house is empty while we are gone again.
As it is now there is always someone here.
Someone rang the door bell today but no one was there. Mind you we are a considerable distance from the road but easily seen.
We have an alarm if anyone comes the driveway but will have to install one or something different on one side of home. Trouble is deer and everything else sets them off.
obgraham
Explorer
Nov 21, 2014
kcmoedoe wrote:
Scan all your documents and save them on removable drives. Keep one with you and keep one in a safe deposit box...I don't worry about things I really can't control.

x 3
rk911
Explorer
Nov 21, 2014
PenMan wrote:
There have been a number of threads about securing your home while away on a trip. My question is what do you do about securing your important documents like income tax records, bank statements, and anything that my contain lots of important info that someone could use to steal your identity. For example, we are supposed to keep everything associated with our income taxes for 7 years (at least). To hold my 7 years of records I use two large file boxes so I can't put them in my safe deposit box at the bank. I have been asking my son to keep them at his house while we are away. What do you do? BTW, we have a lockbox bolted in our TT that we keep things in while on the road.

I scan all of those documents, destroy the originals and keep the scans on the hard drive of the PC, another copy on the laptop we travel with and a 3rd copy on a CD in our safe deposit box.
kcmoedoe
Explorer
Nov 21, 2014
ALL my valuable documents for both my personal life and my business fit neatly on a thumb drive. Scan all your documents and save them on removable drives. Keep one with you and keep one in a safe deposit box at your bank. the very few documents where only the originals will suffice go into the safe deposit box as well. In the real world, there really isn't any way to protect your identity from someone who is motivated to steal it. I don't worry about things I really can't control.
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Nov 21, 2014
derh20 wrote:
The best solution to your problem is to put a "Credit Freeze" on with all 3 credit reporting agencies. that would prevent anyone from trying to get credit with your stolen information. Of course you could not get credit either. You would have to cancel the credit freeze with each agency for a given period of time. there may be a cost, depending on the state you live in. this can be done quickly and easily on the web. Just a suggestion.

$10 per person per agency ($30/each)

And then $10 fee for temporary or permanent lift.
Temporary can be short term (just while you handle transaction) or specific time period.

Used the 'freeze' for all the yrs. we traveled
derh20
Explorer
Nov 21, 2014
The best solution to your problem is to put a "Credit Freeze" on with all 3 credit reporting agencies. that would prevent anyone from trying to get credit with your stolen information. Of course you could not get credit either. You would have to cancel the credit freeze with each agency for a given period of time. there may be a cost, depending on the state you live in. this can be done quickly and easily on the web. Just a suggestion.
Dick_B
Explorer
Nov 21, 2014
We have a home security system that `protects' our house no matter how long we are away. We have wall safe for small stuff and the tax papers are in a file cabinet. If someone broke into the house I doubt they would be looking for paperwork. More likely money or jewelry.
downtheroad
Explorer
Nov 21, 2014
Safe...through bolted to the floor joists from the inside.
coolbreeze01
Explorer
Nov 21, 2014
Papers etc. go in our gun safe.

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