(MONEY Magazine) – You may be taking a vacation soon, but criminals seem to be working harder than ever. Howard Apple, chief of the FBI's Interstate Theft Unit, says that worldwide, ''crime against travelers is increasing consistently with the overall rise in crime.'' Tourists are especially vulnerable, warn law- enforcement officials, because they venture into unfamiliar surroundings when loaded with cash and valuables. The most recent victim: German visitor Barbara Meller Jensen, 39, who was murdered in Miami on April 2 after two men bumped her rental car, robbed her and ran over her as her children watched.

Hard statistics linking crime and travel are elusive. The State Department, for instance, does not compile crime reports from U.S. embassies, local police don't keep separate ledgers for visitor and native victims, and the FBI doesn't list tourist crime in its annual report. Nonetheless, MONEY has uncovered these alarming facts: -- Every year for the past decade, more than 10,000 lawsuits have been filed against U.S. hotels for negligent security. Only about 10% ever get to trial, presumably the most serious cases, but the average jury award is still staggering: $1.3 million. -- MasterCard and Visa lost $500 million to fraud in 1991, according to the American Bankers Association. Almost 80% was racked up by fraudulent charges on stolen cards. -- During 1992, the 10 biggest U.S. airlines reported more than 2.5 million misrouted, damaged, lost or stolen pieces of luggage out of their 417 million passengers. That's almost six mishandled bags for every 1,000 travelers. -- On average, an estimated 34 rental cars were stolen every day of 1991, up 24% over '87. Carjacking has become such a threat in Florida that in February, Gov. Lawton Chiles required rental firms to start dropping license-plate codes that make the cars targets. -- In 1991, 13,600 Americans reported stolen passports while overseas -- in other words, three out of every 1,000 travelers who went abroad. -- During one recent 18-month period, a 1,000-room convention hotel in Las Vegas suffered 800 crimes -- 400 of which were burglaries -- and a murder. According to Richard Mellard, former director of the National Crime Prevention Institute in Louisville, similar epidemics are sweeping hotels in other cities, such as Dallas, Atlanta and Baltimore. ''Hotel crimes are cloaked in silence,'' says Mellard. ''The transient population doesn't report them, and the local police are ignorant of at least 60% of actual break-ins.'' Clearly, crime against travelers is soaring. While those promoting the travel biz -- from hoteliers to travel agents to airline security personnel -- have a vested interest in keeping problems quiet, ''the industry is scared for two reasons,'' says Norman Bates, president of Liability Consultants, a security consulting firm in Framingham, Mass. ''The press has started to look at this issue, and more and more lawsuits have been filed.'' Last March, for instance, a coalition comprising the American Hotel and Motel Association, the American Society of Travel Agents, the American Association of Retired Persons, the National Crime Prevention Council and the American Automobile Association launched a travel-safety campaign. What did they come up with? Some tips, some cautionary advice and a few policy changes. The AAA, for example, will no longer list in its 23 North American tour books lodgings that lack double dead bolts and peepholes on room doors. Your best defense, however, remains your own heightened awareness. Don't assume that only the naive get hit. ''Even the savviest traveler is likely to fall victim,'' cautions Charles Slepian, an attorney and founder of the Foreseeable Risk Analysis Center in Tigard, Ore. ''It happens that one time you let your guard down.'' Crime victims repeatedly told MONEY they got ripped off just when they felt most secure: ''I'm staying at a good hotel,'' one remembers thinking. ''What could happen?'' Or: ''It's just a short flight. My jewelry's safe in the bag.'' Or: ''It's broad daylight in a tourist area -- what could go wrong?'' Here, then, is expert advice on how to prevent rip-offs, based on our interviews with security specialists, police agencies, travel associations and traveler victims with 20/20 hindsight. Here too is what you should do if you get ripped off.

PREPARING FOR A TRIP Booking.Travel fraud is booming. The National Consumers League in Washington, D.C. reports that Americans lose an annual $40 billion to telemarketing schemes -- and one out of every seven is travel-related. If a vacation deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. Typically, if you get targeted, you get a letter or a phone call from a salesperson claiming you've been chosen for a free or bargain-priced trip. The con artist's goal is to learn your credit-card number. Usually, by the time you realize you're not getting the promised tickets, the company has vanished and strange charges have appeared on your charge-card bill. Use a veteran travel agent or reputable travel club to make your arrangements, and turn to them if anything goes awry -- before or during the trip. When booking a package, check that the tour operator belongs to the United States Tour Operators Association; its members are backed by a $5 million insurance policy in case the tour company folds. Credit-card and hotline numbers. If one of your credit or charge cards offers travel insurance, consider paying for the vacation with it. But double- check the benefit: Some MasterCard issuers, for example, do not offer emergency medical assistance or rental-car insurance. Take along only the cards you'll use. Leave all local and department store charge cards at home. AT&T's Universal Card, for example, is a telephone credit card, Visa or MasterCard, and ATM access card rolled into one. But make sure you pack enough plastic to cover the trip. In some countries, such as Greece and France, you can be jailed for overcharging on your credit card. Before departure, give a friend or relative a list of your card account numbers and the phone numbers to report lost or stolen cards, recommends Mary Beth Butler, a consumer-action specialist at Bankcard Holders of America (BHA), a credit watchdog group in Herndon, Va. (annual membership is $24; 800-553-8025). ''The credit-card registry services that charge $6 to $15 a year so you can call one number to automatically cancel all your cards make sense only for someone who travels overseas frequently with several cards,'' she says. Some credit-card companies -- as well as BHA -- offer this service free to members. So check with your card issuer. As soon as you report a card lost or stolen, your liability usually is limited to $50 for each card. Long-distance calling cards. Stay alert when using your phone card, especially in airports, train terminals or hotel lobbies. Last year, telephone fraud cost AT&T, Sprint and MCI about $2 billion. Standing far from phone banks, scam artists use telephoto lenses and mirrors to see what digits you punch. Or well-dressed confederates pretending to use the phone near you memorize the card number that you give the operator. When possible, use phones that allow you to slide the cards past an electronic eye. Passports and visas.Peter Savage, author of The Safe Travel Book (The Free Press; $13.95 in paperback), says you should pack the phone numbers of the U.S. embassy, consul or regional security officers in the countries and cities you're visiting, plus the 24-hour telephone number of the U.S. mission. Call the State Department (202-647-4000) for those numbers -- though the line is often busy. Carry passports and visas separate from cash. Notes Gary Sheaffer at the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs: ''Many passports are inadvertently stolen because travelers carry them in purses or wallets.'' To learn about crime areas on your itinerary, call the State Department (202-647-5225) to hear a recording about trouble spots around the world. With a modem, you can get the info on-line (202-647-9225). Also, see the box below for more tips. Call the U.S. embassy or consulate immediately after losing a passport. You must appear in person to get it replaced, but while you're at the embassy, staffers can assist you with tranferring money, reaching friends and family and canceling credit cards. Health and auto insurance.''Many people don't want to pay extra for emergency health insurance,'' says Savage, ''but a lot of countries require cash up front. Waving your insurance card around won't get you anything.'' A sample package for an unlimited number of trips in one year: $95 covers $100,000 of emergency medical evacuation, guaranteed hospital or medical payments, emergency cash, translation services, medical referrals and a link with a U.S. doctor. These companies offer reasonable travel insurance packages: TravMed/Medex Assistance (Lutherville, Md.; 800-732-5309); Europ Assistance Worldwide Services (Washington, D.C.; 800-821-2828) and Corporate Assist (Washington, D.C.; 800-756-5900).

KEEPING LUGGAGE SAFE Attorney Charles Slepian, who was a TWA security consultant for two years, has dozens of videos of airline workers stealing everything from liquor to fur coats from luggage: ''I saw baggage handlers take suitcases right off a belt, put them in the trunks of their cars and return to work. There is no criminal- record check for airport employees in America.'' In other countries, checks on airport workers are made by security personnel. An all too common scenario: The ticketing agent or curbside check-in handler sizes you up as a promising prospect. He then marks your bag with a code that signals crooked handlers to rifle your baggage or steal it outright. Another ploy is to deliberately misroute your bag to an airport where an employee- partner waits to pick through it. ''Be suspicious whenever your bags are misrouted,'' says Slepian. ''Check them immediately.'' Most airlines require that any luggage complaint be made either before you depart the airport or within four hours of your flight's arrival. In addition, the most you can recover from the airline is $1,250 -- provided you back up your claim with receipts. Your ticket also specifies a host of valuables for which the airlines claim no responsibility: jewelry, furs, antiques, electronic equipment and so on. American Express and Diners Club both offer up to $1,250 to cardholders for lost or stolen luggage claims over and above the airline's payment. But in a classic catch-22, that insurance kicks in only if the airline declares your claim valid and if you have the necessary receipts. You could purchase additional coverage from the airline -- usually for about $10 for every $1,000 increment up to $5,000. However, all exclusions still apply -- so read the | fine print before buying it.

BEING SMART IN A RENTAL CAR The FBI's Uniform Crime Report confirms that car theft is among the country's fastest-growing crimes. To help avoid a carjacking: -- Plan your route before you leave your hotel. Miami Police Officer David Magnusson says: ''Carjackers look for people sitting at stoplights with a map out.'' Call the police's community affairs department to learn about local crime areas. -- Have your keys in hand as you approach the car. And make sure no one's lurking around, under or inside the car before you unlock. -- If you get into a minor traffic accident with another car in an isolated area, drive slowly to a well-lit, populated place before getting out of the car to assess damage. Turn on your four-way flashers as a signal to the other driver that you are not fleeing the scene. Thieves often smack into a car to prompt a driver to pull over, as they did to Barbara Jensen in Miami, and then they demand your keys. -- Keep your car in gear when stopped at a light, and be prepared to sound your horn or drive away the moment you feel threatened. -- Don't stop for stranded motorists. Call the police and request aid for them. Again, this might be a ploy to demand your keys. -- If you get lost, ask for help from police officers, mail carriers, electrical company workers or fire fighters -- not from just anyone hanging around.

STAYING SAFE IN HOTELS A 1992 survey of frequent business travelers by Corporate Travel magazine in New York City and Beta Research in Syosset, N.Y. found that nearly a quarter of the 227 executives had been victims of hotel crimes; 40% knew close associates who had been robbed in hotels in the past two years. Yet travelers often experience a false sense of security once they have registered. Says consultant Bates, who served as a Boston hotel security director: ''Hotels don't do the job they should to protect guests. Urban properties and large convention hotels are especially risky.'' Experts suggest that you follow these precautions: -- Be particularly alert while checking in and out. That's when your cash and valuables are visible and you're often distracted. -- Book a room near an elevator or any other busy area, such as a room-service station. The extra noise may be a trade-off for added safety. -- Refuse a room that doesn't have double dead bolts and a peephole. -- Call the front desk to verify unexpected deliveries or room service. -- Before leaving items in the hotel safe, ask about the hotel's insurance coverage. Then get a written, detailed receipt for the items stored. -- Stay at small hotels. Says Nancy Dunnan, managing editor of the Travel Smart newsletter ($44 a year; 800-327-3633): ''In small hotels, strangers are instantly noticed.''

PROTECTING YOUR BELONGINGS Even experts are not immune. Tom Wathen, the over-six-foot, 200-pound chairman of Pinkerton Security & Investigation Services, was wearing a Rolex watch when he stepped out of Naples' high-class Palace Hotel. He was just five feet from the doorman when a thief pinned back his arm and wrestled the watch from his wrist. The hotel's private security police were at the end of the block, smoking cigarettes. Sighs Wathen: ''You'd think I'd know better.'' ''Keep your bag and camera straps concealed under clothing,'' counsels Nancy Tolbert of Citizens Against Crime, a crime prevention and safety seminar franchise based in Allen, Texas. ''If you feel a tug on your strap, let go immediately. Don't risk being dragged into traffic.'' Above all, whether you're in the U.S. or abroad, always stay attuned to your surroundings. Don't forget you're navigating on unfamiliar turf where you often don't know the local customs or habits. The FBI's Apple sums it up this way: ''When you go on vacation, make sure your brain goes with you.''