Executive Travel : Theft of Property a Main Concern Among Business Travelers

When many business travelers think about crime on the road, more often than not they are worrying about personal assaults. Perhaps that’s because violence against travelers tends to get the most publicity--when it happens.

A far bigger problem on the road, however, is loss of personal or corporate property.

Indeed, according to a recent survey of 200 corporate travel managers conducted by Air Travel Card, the No. 1 security concern for business travelers is theft of property.

“The majority of corporations today recognize it is both good practice and good business to educate their employees about travel safety,” said Ralph Bernstein, director of marketing for Air Travel Card. “Security-related incidents are rare, but they do happen, often because travelers haven’t been given the information they need to make informed decisions.”

What’s more, the survey found that 39% of respondents said there is increasing concern among corporations about the possibility of technical or information-related theft, including computer, business plans and other crucial data while employees travel.

Business travelers are particularly vulnerable to property theft on the road, said Kevin Coffey, a Los Angeles police detective who founded the airport crimes investigations detail of the Los Angeles Police Department. “That’s because business travelers have the most to lose, and their companies as well.’

Off duty, Coffey is also the founder of Corporate Travel Safety, a travel safety consulting firm that provides seminars to businesses. Coffey, whose corporate clients have included Motorola, Amgen and Atlantic Richfield, uses actual footage of crimes being committed to illustrate his points. (For more information, contact Corporate Travel Safety at [818] 348-3309.)

Theft is the problem he hears about the most from his traveling clients, he said. “If you lose your briefcase, or your laptop is stolen, you could have lost valuable corporate documents--it can be devastating.”

Thieves target business travelers for their electronic equipment, as well as for their wallets, phone cards, travelers checks, passports and plane tickets, he said. They make easy marks because they tend to be in a hurry, and are easily distracted.

Airport thieves love laptops, he said. “It used to be cameras were the thing, but laptops are more valuable.’

In terms of loss to the traveler, however, it is frequently not so much the cost of replacing the equipment that causes trouble but the loss of the information inside. “Most people don’t backup their laptops,” he said.

Such crimes are more common than many business travelers think, Coffey said. “They tend to be under-reported.” If a bag disappears, for example, it may be reported to the airline but not to the police.

In the five years Coffey has been handling airport investigations for the LAPD, airport crime has been on the rise. “With a rise in travel comes a rise in crime,” he said. When Coffey arrested one suspect, for example, he discovered 250 bags of luggage stowed in the suspect’s house.

Not only are such incidents on the rise, but airport criminals have become increasingly sophisticated, said Coffey, who has documented more than 50 different distraction techniques.

“Pack your bags as if you’re never going to see them again,” he said. “The locks on luggage are designed to keep honest people honest.”

Although most people assume thieves are after valuables that can be resold for quick cash, sometimes the theft is for economic espionage, he said. Many times business travelers realize later that a competitor’s move could be correlated with the loss of crucial documents in a stolen briefcase some months before, he said.

Theft of information is particularly common overseas, he said. “A lot of companies over there invest heavily in obtaining corporate secrets--everyone want to know what the competition is doing.”

Business travelers can help protect themselves against such losses, however, by understanding how and where most property thefts against travelers occur.

“Always be aware of your surroundings,” Coffey said. “Take the time to learn the most susceptible locations.”

For example, many travelers don’t think about the security screening station as a potential place for theft, he said. But he has caught thieves dressed as business people working in teams at security checkpoints. One causes a delay for a business traveler trying to get through a metal detector. Meanwhile, the partner in crime has already nabbed the luggage that has gone through the X-ray machine.

Other vulnerable points are curbside check-in areas, gates, restrooms, airport bars, shuttle bus stops, telephone booths--even those racks of rental luggage carts, he said. Wherever people put their bags down, they tend to put their guard down as well.

Keep an eye on your luggage at all times, he said. Bags have been known to disappear from skycap carts, so try to watch it until it gets all the way to the baggage handling belt.

Be especially on guard if you get tapped on the shoulder, bumped into or asked for directions, because it may be a deliberate distraction so someone can grab your bag. Sometimes crooks will concoct arguments, or stage injuries to attract your attention long enough to grab your bag. It only takes a second, he said.

Don’t fly with fancy luggage. Expensive bags are an invitation for a thief to look inside.

And if you use a special bag for your laptop, consider getting a motion-based alarm system that will alert you if anyone touches or moves the bag without first entering a code, he said.

The threat should not be exaggerated, experts note. According to a survey just released by the Travel Industry Assn. of America, the rate of crime against U.S. adult travelers is 40% less than the rate for the public at large. “While we were pleased to find that crimes against travelers were significantly lower than against the general population, our customers’ safety and security will continue to be a priority,” said association President William Norman.

Ultimately, though, travelers have to take responsibility for their own safety, Coffey said.

People tend to think the odds are in their favor and these things won’t happen to them when they travel, he said. “But if it happens to you, statistics don’t mean a thing.”