13 Tips for Keeping Your Laptop Safe

Almost anyone who works on the go knows this to be true: your laptop is your livelihood. But are you protecting it as carefully as you should when you’re traveling?

Many agents see no problem in briefly leaving their laptop unattended–but it only takes a second for someone to snatch it and, with it, your client data.

Here are some important tips to remember when traveling with your laptop, courtesy of Robert Siciliano, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com:

1. Don’t set yourself up for bumbling and fumbling around with too many belongings. Travel light.
2. Tape an ID label or business card to your laptop.
3. Don’t use ID tags for your luggage; they can get torn or ripped off. Put your ID information inside the luggage.
4. Try to reserve a seat at the front of the plane.
5. If you use a shuttle, keep your luggage at your side rather than in the rear compartment.
6. When possible, always place your belongings on the counter you’re at so nobody can snatch them off the floor.
7. Be very suspicious of overly emotional people asking you for help or a few people nearby erupting into an argument; these could be setups to distract you so that an accomplice could rob you. Remember, no distraught traveler’s fate is in your hands.
8. Crimes of distraction commonly occur at checkpoints with the metal detectors. Someone distracts you so that an accomplice could steal your items after they go through the checkpoint. Either don’t allow yourself to be distracted as you prepare to go through the metal detector, or consider a pat-down. Personnel will require you to face your belongings during the entire pat-down.
9. Always take valuables onto the plane; never check them.
10. Here’s one you probably never thought of: Put your carry-on in the compartment across from your seat, not directly overhead, so you can become aware if anyone’s digging into it.
11. When in your car or a rental, put your laptop in the trunk, not in the front or back seat when leaving the car.
12. Don’t leave your laptop unattended when at a coffee shop, not for a second.
13. Install a lost/locate/wipe. There are many options.

This list was originally posted on Inman.com.