Avoiding rental car crime

When you rent a car, you are usually on vacation. Vacations are about rest, relaxation, recreation, and fun, so the last thing you want to deal with during your time away is the devastation of being a victim of crime.

Locking your car doors should be a given, but quite often travelers overlook this basic precaution

Here are some precautions to help you avoid being a target of rental car crime.

• Remove anything that identifies your vehicle as a rental. Criminals seek out rental cars knowing that the passengers are from out of town and not familiar with the area. While most states now prohibit rental car companies from identifying a vehicle as a rental, there may be some areas that don't.

• Locking your car doors should be a given, but quite often travelers overlook this basic precaution, particularly in resort destinations where everything is catered to the tourist.

• Valuables should always be locked in the trunk or where they are not visible to passersby. If you are headed to a specific destination, such as a beach or theme park, put your valuables in the trunk before you get there so that prying eyes don't see you making the transfer in the parking lot.

• Try to park in well-lit lots or in security-protected garages.

• Avoid leaving obvious clues that you are on vacation. Don't leave maps and brochures on the seat of your car.

• Blend in as much as possible. Use a local newspaper or magazine to wrap around your map while you are sitting in your car trying to figure out directions to avoid being singled out as a tourist. This is particularly important if your travels take you off the major roads and on to side streets and downtown locations where visitors are more easily identified.