I guess one of the reasons that identity theft is still the nation’s fastest-growing crime is that it can happen anywhere, even when you’re traveling. All it takes is a creative identity thief and a careless traveler.

And many times, the travelers don’t even need to be that careless. You may have read about a series of identity thefts in Illinois late last year when employees, managers and even the owners of several well-known hotels were charged with identity fraud. In a scheme designed to steal guest identities using their registration and payment information, multiple arrests were made.

And while those charges were subsequently dropped, it illustrates how easy identity theft can be when you hand your personal information over to complete strangers. Whether you book a room at a hotel or guesthouse, rent a car or pay for a vacation package, you really have no idea who you’re giving your information to or what measures they’re going to take to protect it. And it’s certainly worth remembering that while you may rent a car or book a hotel room for just one day, that information belongs to that company forever.

Last year, an identity theft scam began to emerge that was as simple as it was devastating. Guests at a number of hotels in New York City claimed that a series of unauthorized charges on their credit cards — for goods they never ordered — appeared on their respective credit card statements. In each case, those complaining about the unauthorized charges blamed each of the individual hotel staffs for the errors.

It turns out that these creative thieves were simply calling hotels randomly, then asking to speak to the occupant of a given room number. Once through to the guest, these identity thieves were able to pose as hotel employees. After all, these calls were actually coming through the hotel switchboard. So, in many cases, the would-be thief pretended that there was a problem with the credit card the guest used, and then simply requested confirmation of the card number and asked for other personal information as well.

These simple identity theft scams can come complete with devastating consequences, as your identity can disappear in so many different ways — when you’re on vacation, for example, your luggage can be lost or stolen, someone can steal your information from a laptop computer, and you can fall victim to a pickpocket, either right near home or on the other side of the world.

And to that point, remember that identity theft is a global crime. Don’t assume that, because you’re in a distant country, you can leave the threat of identity theft behind. Identity theft is a universal crime, just as your personal information is universal. And once it’s stolen, your information can become an international currency that is accepted virtually anywhere.

Apart from being especially cautious, there are a number of things you can do to avoid identity theft when traveling:

Bring along as few credit cards as possible. If your wallet or purse gets lost or stolen, it’s far easier to cancel one or two credit cards, as opposed to many.

Bring only the minimum required form(s) of identification along on your trip. If you are in the habit of bringing multiple forms of identification along, leave them locked in the hotel safe where you are staying until you really need them.

Always bring a copy of the emergency number of your bank or credit card company so that you can act quickly to cancel a card, place a fraud warning, or get a new card.

And when you travel, don’t neglect security measures back at home. Mail identity thieves can certainly strike when you’re home, but their opportunities to commit all different types of mail identity thefts increase when you’re out of town.

Arrange to have someone you trust collect your mail on a regular basis while you’re away. If identity thieves think you’re not at home, the chances that they’ll try to pull some sort of mail fraud stunt will increase drastically.

Enjoy your time away, yes. But always keep your guard up, and prevent identity theft and identity fraud by ensuring that any and all security precautions are taken.