covers for Iphone and laptop for security

You have received good answers to your phone and computer question. I suggest you take 2 debit cards, linked to separate accounts and 2 credit cards. No need to take travelers checks. They are passé and not many places accept them anymore.

I agree with Andrea. I had already opened a separate travel account for my September trip. It will just have a smallish amount of money on it to get me through my trip. If it gets stolen or compromised they will only get that amount. It will not link up to any of the other accounts I have. The bank called it an S1.9 account. Because I am parinoid I opened yet another account today for an emergency back up. Same account linked to my others but a thief will only have access to what is in that specific account. I can transfer money into these accounts if I need to. Will leave my joint account and main account cards at home. Not sure about taking a credit card though.

The one necessary iPhone accessory that is required is an iPhone case – can't tell you how many people I know whose screen cracked or shattered instantly with one drop. I've dropped my own smartphone probably dozens of times – nothing. But iPhones have an Achilles heel. Anyway, it has nothing to do with ATM cards and skimmers. Skimmers are devices that crooks will install to read your account details from your card's magnetic strip. Coupled with your PIN number, which can be read by a small camera (also installed) or by another crook standing nearby, copies of your card can be reproduced almost instantly. This can happen anywhere and isn't limited to ATMs (employee crooks have done it on card swipe machines in retail stores). Your best bet is to pull/yank the card swipe apparatus on the ATM machine – skimmers aren't permanently attached. Also, cover the keypad with your free hand as you type so your PIN cannot be easily determined by a camera or person. We could also get into all the ways more serious hackers could grab your data as you key it on a public computer or as it leaves your laptop on the way to your bank when using public Wi-Fi, but that's just too much to worry about.

How would getting a metal enclosure for an i-phone and laptop protect the security of an ATM card? Do you take similar precautions in the US? Your friends account was hacked into while she was in Europe. Did she use the ATM card in Europe? Is it possible a skimming device was attached to the ATM? And is it possible that her account was compromised by someone in the US?

I'm with Bob. So no wifi, and a great monster of a cage for the devices? Why not take a Brinks truck? You know how many people here in Europe walk around with IPhones, Galaxy Tabs, IPads, and older devices every day and don't have that problem? I don't see the relationship between the ATM card and the fone and laptop...

What's a skimming device that is attached to the ATM? I know I think it is over the top, but when you are stranded without any money available, its a big hassle. She was even detained at customs because she didn't have enough money to justify her travel plans.
How to be prepared - so carry 2 credit/debit cards, what about travelers checks?

You should learn about ATM skimmers and steps to take to avoid them. They are not just in Europe; we had a ring operating here in Seattle recently.

Stephanie, some sort of blocking cover is not necessary for those devices. I would not store sensitive information on any device, however, unless it was encrypted. The password protection available in word processing programs isn't enough, though. There are companies that sell programs online that can crack those passwords in seconds. You need to use something such as PGP, which can encrypt the entire hard disk on a laptop, or True Crypt.

No offense to your friend Stephanie, but I have a hard time believing she was completely stranded without any cash. First, you can use a credit card at an ATM machine to get cash. Yes you pay through the nose for it, but in an emergency it works. Second, why would immigration stop someone from entering or leaving without cash on them. That's just not something they ask about. There are such things as scanners on ATM machines that will compromise its security. That may have happened to her. Or using a debit card for purchases, that is any easy way for someone to hack into your account and drain it. But even these things are rare and can happen anywhere, though they are more challenging when abroad. I'm not sure what information would be worth stealing from a laptop or phone. And the risk is so incredibly remote that it's not worth a second's worry.

You could never use an iPhone or laptop ensconced in a metal enclosure; they'd have to come out sometime... Read about skimmers (and look at photos). Bring two ATM cards, if you have them (preferably on two accounts). Also bring two credit cards even if you're not planning on using them (if you're planning to use cash only). They could come in handy. If your ATM card is also a debit card, never use it as a credit card. That opens it up to more opportunities to be compromised...and try to only use ATMs physically attached to a bank during business hours; if the machine eats your card or doesn't give you money when your receipt shows that it did, you can immediately go into the bank and get your problem worked out. (also, try not to use an ATM as you're leaving a city, so that you will have time to work out any problem) These problems aren't necessarily more frequent in Europe than in the USA, but you're more 'up the creek', so to speak, anytime you're away from home on vacation and things go wrong and Europe is farther away than Seattle... Those 'scanners' are alive and well here, too, but they rarely make the news. In fact, I typically see them on those 'look out for this scam' type TV programs. I'd be more on the lookout for skimmers (at home, too), but don't be overly anxious about them, either.

"Second, why would immigration stop someone from entering or leaving without cash on them. That's just not something they ask about." I've been asked about money by immigration in the U.K. It was years ago (when Travelers Checks were prevalent). I was 20something and traveling with a backpack. They first asked to see my return ticket. That was back when there were special standby student fares which could only be purchased 72 hours prior to departure which I told them. I guess this made them skeptical, so I was then asked to show them the funds that I would be using to support myself while traveling and to pay for my return ticket. Once I showed them my travelers checks and credit card, it was no issue. I'm sure it is extremely unusual to be asked about this, but it can happen.

My friend's daughter (age 23)was detained in June at customs entering the UK. They were suspicious because she didn't have her original papers and little cash because her purse was stolen on the train in Barcelona. She was kept for 4 hours until released. Ironically her sister's ATM or debit card was somehow used for purchases in Paris - and she had only been traveling in the UK.

"....Second, why would immigration stop someone from entering or leaving without cash on them. That's just not something they ask about...." It happens all the time. May not be as prevalent for an American vs. a traveler from a third-world country, but it's a common question. Entering Canada last year I was questioned about my finances at the Toronto-Pearson Airport. A couple of years ago on a flight to London, US Customs agents were on the jet way asking every passenger leaving the country how much cash they had on them.

Stephanie, I'm having some difficulty understanding why your friend would suggest that placing an iPhone and Laptop inside a steel enclosure would protect against hacking an ATM card? This is quite simply not logical! A more urgent concern is the issue of travelling with an iPhone. If that's what you're considering, BE SURE that you're VERY clear on the aspect of data roaming. The roaming costs can be HUGE (five figures)! Both Laptops and iPhones are most vulnerable to "sniffers" when they're using Wi-Fi, which or course can't be done when the device is inside a steel enclosure. In order to have some idea how the ATM card was "hacked", it would help to have more specific information. For example, does the card have the PayPass feature, was it used only for ATM withdrawals, which cities was it used, etc. One of the most common methods of compromising ATM cards is for criminals to install a duplicate Reader in front of the legitimate ATM (often attached with double-sided tape). This is often used with a small Camera to view the PIN entry unless the criminal has an easy view to the machine (with binoculars). When the user places their card in the ATM, it's read by the fake ATM rather than the real one and no cash is dispensed. "Skimmers" are also possible with POS transactions. The real POS Terminal is replaced with a modified unit, which captures and stores the information of every card that it's used with. Cheers!

"Second, why would immigration stop someone from entering or leaving without cash on them. That's just not something they ask about." To those responding to my quote above, we are both correct and Stephanie has now explained that the real reason her friend was stopped was because her purse had been stolen and she didn't have her original passport and other documents and payment options with her. To that I will add that worrying about laptop, cellphone and skimming is waaaaaay down the list compared to having a moneybelt or other secure means of avoiding theft and pickpockets. I don't doubt that immigration officials question third-world citizens more thoroughly, but that is not the focus of this board - most here are US and Canadians. As some have pointed out, questions about general finances do happen, but are rare. But lack of "cash" would not be an issue. Few of us travel to Europe with cash - we almost all get it at an ATM on arrival. Even a lack of an ATM card wouldn't be a red flag if one has legitimate means of paying for things and getting cash, like credit cards.

I had my ATM and credit card stolen in London 2 years ago and my husband had to wire me money. It happens but you can always call home. It costs and you learn a lesson but that's experience. This time I will have 2 different sets and keep them in seperate places. Just make sure you make copies of everything so you can call to cancel and tell your financial institutions where and when you are going so they can pick up on anything out of line.