Each time a traveler punched in a credit-card number, he recorded it. We call it shoulder-surfing. Coffey has spent 19 years with the Los Angeles Police Department trying to protect and educate travelers about crime. He founded the department's Airport Crimes Division in 1991. While off duty, he tours the country giving seminars on safe travel.
People understand the importance of protecting their homes . . .
They want to relax, to lie on the beach. The problem is, they put their head in the sand. At home, if someone knocks on your front door, you always look to see who is there before opening. But in a hotel room, if there's a knock and a voice says, 'Housekeeping' or 'Room service,' you'll take their word and open almost every time. Compounding the traveler's risk, Coffey says, is the fact that many criminals are daring and innovative.