Passport question About This Page:

[Starbright]

We went down to the Mayan Riviera and stayed at a very very nice and reputable resort. It was a 5 star. We took our passports and copies of them with us. Dh had a copy of his passport with him in the room the last day, and while packing up, we misplaced it. I have no clue where it went. We saw it, and then it was gone. We looked through the garbage and didn't find it so assumed it was in our luggage, which it wasn't. No one but us was in the room but us. I know that all staff has to go through security screening to leave the place, no cell phones are allowed in. We were stupid a few times and even left the safe open, but I am confident that nothing was taken or disturbed.
We are abit concerned about the photocopy of the passport. It wasn't a good photo of dh...very dark. It only has his first name, last name and passport number on it. We could go through the hastle and have it tagged and then have problems at every airport we go to, or we could just have a new one made and have this one distroyed or we could just leave it. What do you think??? I know we might be sounding paranoid, but we like to travel. What do you think we should do? I am leaning towards him having a new one redone and not have it tagged. The resort is a good place and with the humidity down there, it is amazing any paper even stays readable.
Need your thoughts.
Thanks

[Dave Marx]

In a case like this, it's a mistake to simply say, "Don't worry," any personal information out in circulation could be misused in some way. However, the authorities are not worried about this sort of thing, because, for the purposes of identification, a photocopy of a passport cannot be used. It's simply a handy record in case your passport is lost or stolen, or when a hotel clerk needs to prove that he/she verified your passport/visa status.

If a passport is reported lost or stolen, the passport number is entered into security databases, so that someone using the passport will be stopped. I'd imagine the government would rather not do that in a situation like this - it might only cause problems for you (or them).

If you wanted to report the passport as lost anyway, just to be on the safe side? The form you file with the government is treated as a sworn statement, and possession of that lost/stolen item becomes a crime. As the passport actually belongs to the government, destroying it is also a crime. They don't want people reporting these things as lost/stolen unless they really are.

Might someone use a photocopy of a passport as a way of creating a false identity? Perhaps, but I haven't found anything online at identity theft sites, etc. that indicates that it's a major concern. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has a site dedicated to identity theft, and the Canadian government is likely to have something similar. I'd check with them, rather than the folks who issue passports, to see what possible consequences could be.

[cdnmickeyfan]

I work for a police department in Canada and I can tell you that we wouldn't take a report for a lost copy of a passport for the simple reason that the passport has not been lost. There is not a lot that a person can do with a photocopy of a passport. I wouldn't worry all that much about it. I would contact the Passport office and see what they suggest. I would just record somewhere the date and where you were when the copy was lost. Hope this helps. Take care.

[Starbright]

Thanks!!
Canadian Mickey, do you think we should just cancel it and have a new one reissued??? Because the passport number is on it, and so is the birthday and full name.
I called the Fraud unit and they kinda scared me with how much someone can do with that info. It wasn't a good photocopy, thankgoodness. Really dark etc. Passports did not give us any good info except to report it to the credit agencies. Alot of money to get a new one, and lots of hassles, but we wouldn't have to be worried the next time we travel too. And since I now like flying I want to do more.
What do you think???? I am torn because this means that with limited info, anyone can get any info and do anything to us. And of all the places...mexico
I am NOT taking a photo copy of my passport anywhere again. The number but not the copy.
Thanks again!!!