Do most parks check/copy your ID? (Victims of ID theft)

[DaveRVman]

Well long story short, my wife was a huge victim of identity theft about 5 years ago. It was terrible. We haven't traveled too much in RV's (many many years ago) and were curious.

We are very paranoid about RV parks in general copying and getting our ID cards such as drivers licenses etc. copied or giving them the info.

How many parks do this? My wife is like "NO" on showing anybody ID (except authorities and of course or the bank). If it's "Joe Blow's RV park there is NO way she'd show her ID.

I'm just curious of how many parks really want or more to the point DEMAND ID from their guests? Is it every park? Or do most parks generally just let you pay and go in?

I know it's varied but would appreciate some insight.

Like do COE parks demand it? Or city parks?

What is the typical "check in"?

Also I do know that many of you haven't probably ever had a problem... We never thought it would happen to us.

[jeromep]

To the OP: do you feel you know the genesis of your ID theft? If so, I'd love to know how you think it occurred.

To be honest, and coming from a financial services background, it is almost impossible to target the source of ID theft, either an action the victim took when conducting a transaction, or the merchant which may have had weak command and control over their payment processing or customer records facilities.

People can often point to a large and publicly known data breach, such as the Target break from many years ago, or the Hartland System breach before that, as where it may have occurred, but nobody in the financial services or data processing chain really knows where ID theft really starts. And for those that are now aware, Hartland Systems (they may go by a different name now) is a large merchant card processor, so they sell card processing services, mostly to small and medium sized businesses, which includes the card terminal, along with the software and support to accept cards and settle the transactions to their bank. Every time you use a card for a payment, whether it is a physical card, a mobile wallet like ApplePay, or online, there is a merchant processor in the mix that is facilitating the card transaction.

Anyway, when we book RV parks or campgrounds the staff are most interested in how we are going to pay and seem much less interested in who we are. When we stay in hotels they always have to see your ID and get your card, but I've never had them walk away with the ID, and I'd balk if they did. Many places won't even touch your ID, they will look at it and use it to find your reservation in the computer.

The best protections against ID theft is to assume that it will happen, but to keep an eye out on your accounts and financial relationships. Online banking, online brokerage accounts, are all your friends and you should be logging into your financial services regularly to review transactions and look for anything you haven't done. You should also be reviewing monthly statements and balancing your accounts. And turning on transaction alerts with your banks is a great way to know when things are occurring which maybe shouldn't be.

As Mel, the cook from "Alice", once said, "the best defense is a good offense."

[ZINGERLITE]

pitch wrote:
Campground is near the last place I would worry. Besides your cell phone, your onstar, your computer habits your credit and debit card ,your fuel card and any other loyalty card you may have are dumping every thing there is to know about you in to the big system.
Costco,Wal mart and their affiliates and vendors, not only know that you spent $59.33 last Tuesday and 7:05, but they also know that you bought Hanes boxer brief's/3pk in size xxl 54 to 66 and a 60ct pack of depends.

We have had cards compromised a couple of times, yet suffered no loss, just angst and inconvenience.

The trains already left the station with "AI" its pretty crazy. there's a new "social dilemma" documentary i think everyone should watch. I think the only people not contributing to the "big system" are the people in remote Alaska that have never been anywhere near the internet or a smart phone. Everythings tracked. how fast or slow you scroll past an image on a google search is logged. Not much we can do about it other than watch it happen.

[pitch]

Campground is near the last place I would worry. Besides your cell phone, your onstar, your computer habits your credit and debit card ,your fuel card and any other loyalty card you may have are dumping every thing there is to know about you in to the big system.
Costco,Wal mart and their affiliates and vendors, not only know that you spent $59.33 last Tuesday and 7:05, but they also know that you bought Hanes boxer brief's/3pk in size xxl 54 to 66 and a 60ct pack of depends.

We have had cards compromised a couple of times, yet suffered no loss, just angst and inconvenience.

[kane8907]

Checks is not good paying term. If credit point is enough, get a credit card with good plan would be more convenient.

[BarabooBob]

I have checking into 10 campgrounds in the last 2 weeks. I used a credit card each time and have not been asked to even present my DL even once. They didn't even ask to see it much less make a copy of it.

[Allworth]

And if you get your information from the internet, you are a damned fool!

[JAC1982]

free radical wrote:

DaveRVman wrote:

magicbus wrote:

DaveRVman wrote:
Or the 18 year old sells the numbers & ID information to the deep web where people do pay for info and steal your identity.

But in the end, who cares. That theft is not “identity stealing” it is just your credit card being compromised. Happens all the time and the credit card companies are getting pretty good at catching it. Of course we end up paying for what they miss via their fees to vendors, but it’s a small price to pay verses using cash and catching a Corona virus. :W

They have the card and your home address information. They know what you drive, what type of RV you have, and know what you look like. They know your hair & eye color, possibly that of your spouse, and if you have children. By your ring they know if you are married.

From the internet they can capture just about everywhere you've lived, your house value, along with the relatives in your home (and/or how many children you have).

With that information, they can go to Facebook, know where you work (or where you have worked), if you have a degree or not, etc.

They can pose as you, give fake names & registrations under your name, and in some cases even travel in different countries in your name. They attempt to get credit cards in your name, and most creditors start "locking stuff", pass fake checks in your name, etc. Insurance companies see the warnings on your credit.

Trust me, there are very good reasons you'd rather people NOT know you or much about you. It's not just a credit card getting compromised. You can even get your bank account locked (of course until you go in and "prove yourself")... Locked over and over again.

The worst part is they hang onto you... Then attempt as your spouse. One day your are "honest Dave" the next "suspicious ""Dave"" ".

Anyway, yes, we have made it a policy NOT to "show" ID if we absolutely don't have to. I'm to the point where I won't show it even to check in or the card (especially if they want a copy).

So it's great to hear most places simply just ask your name and check you in. 🙂 Giving any more info and places you trade with, ID numbers etc is rough.

Very scary indeed and quite posible for serious scammers to acomplish
Thats why
I have no FB :B
Also never stay in CG,
if I did Id pay cash or Debit Card

They can only get that information from Facebook if you make it public. My profile is only set to show my picture and name, and any posts I choose to make public. A random person cannot figure out where I work, where I live, who I'm married to, where I went to school, who my friends are etc., because I've set the privacy settings to be that way.

[CFerguson]

DownTheAvenue wrote:
Check into any hotel and they will take a copy of your driver's license, too.
A visit to any medical professional gets a copy of your driver's license.
A visit to many government buildings gets a copy of your driver's license.
Boarding an airplane, renting a car, and the list goes on!

Not true. Maybe just where you live.

[DownTheAvenue]

Check into any hotel and they will take a copy of your driver's license, too.
A visit to any medical professional gets a copy of your driver's license.
A visit to many government buildings gets a copy of your driver's license.
Boarding an airplane, renting a car, and the list goes on!

[wanderingbob]

I often wonder if it is legal to make a copy of your drivers license . It is not your license , it belongs to the state that issued it .

[CFerguson]

Its not your address the crooks are after with your DL. Your DL# can be a key component in identity theft. Esp in conjunction with other info.
I'm pretty much with zcookiemonstar- they can look, but they cant copy. And i always keep a thumb or finger over my DL #.

[free_radical]

DaveRVman wrote:

magicbus wrote:

DaveRVman wrote:
Or the 18 year old sells the numbers & ID information to the deep web where people do pay for info and steal your identity.

But in the end, who cares. That theft is not “identity stealing” it is just your credit card being compromised. Happens all the time and the credit card companies are getting pretty good at catching it. Of course we end up paying for what they miss via their fees to vendors, but it’s a small price to pay verses using cash and catching a Corona virus. :W

They have the card and your home address information. They know what you drive, what type of RV you have, and know what you look like. They know your hair & eye color, possibly that of your spouse, and if you have children. By your ring they know if you are married.

From the internet they can capture just about everywhere you've lived, your house value, along with the relatives in your home (and/or how many children you have).

With that information, they can go to Facebook, know where you work (or where you have worked), if you have a degree or not, etc.

They can pose as you, give fake names & registrations under your name, and in some cases even travel in different countries in your name. They attempt to get credit cards in your name, and most creditors start "locking stuff", pass fake checks in your name, etc. Insurance companies see the warnings on your credit.

Trust me, there are very good reasons you'd rather people NOT know you or much about you. It's not just a credit card getting compromised. You can even get your bank account locked (of course until you go in and "prove yourself")... Locked over and over again.

The worst part is they hang onto you... Then attempt as your spouse. One day your are "honest Dave" the next "suspicious ""Dave"" ".

Anyway, yes, we have made it a policy NOT to "show" ID if we absolutely don't have to. I'm to the point where I won't show it even to check in or the card (especially if they want a copy).

So it's great to hear most places simply just ask your name and check you in. 🙂 Giving any more info and places you trade with, ID numbers etc is rough.

Very scary indeed and quite posible for serious scammers to acomplish
Thats why
I have no FB :B
Also never stay in CG,
if I did Id pay cash or Debit Card

[ljr]

I was nearly full time for 8 years, rarely staying in one place for more than a few weeks. I was never asked for an ID.

[Grit_dog]

^Maybe mods should zap the spammer here...