* Avoid printing your residence address and the private contacts on your business card.
* Never disclose your living style details, locations to anyone who is not known to you or even casually known to you.
* Avoid entertaining office staff and official visitors at your residence.
* If your NIC discloses your vulnerability in the “profession” column, change it to a less prominent, ordinary position or leave it blank.
* Do not carry your family details, photographs in your handbag, wallet, vehicle, mobile phone or lap top.
* Though it is difficult, consciously try to disrupt the routine of your traveling times, places and routes – as much as practically possible.
* Consider wearing inexpensive, non–flashy jewellery, wristwatches and other personal accessories.
* Your family contacts in your mobile phone should not be identifiable to anyone other than you, This applies to your private email addresses as well.
* Never fix attention-drawing gadgets to your vehicle.
* Try to use a vehicle which has a less prominent registration number.
* Your vehicle revenue licence paper, insurance card may disclose your private address. Be highly conscious about it.
* Avoid displaying windshield stickers such as social club membership, professional status, etc. It is safer to merge with the common man than attempting to cut above.
* As much as possible, ensure that your vehicle is unmarked.
* Never leave the fuel filler cap and the doors unlocked and unattended.
* While travelling, keep the shutters completely up, and the doors locked.
* If you see a road barrier, blockage or accident ahead – that you are suspicious about, try to re-route as quickly as possible. Those could be ‘created’ traps to get you in there.
* Train your family including children on personal safety. Think of a possibility of your family being taken hostage to force you to agree to something that you refused or to demand a colossal ransom.
* Never fill personal details in formats given by strangers under the guise of university students, business survey teams, etc.
* Your personal driver and domestics can be used to harm you and your family by interested parties. They are prime sources of information to such elements. Be very conscious about it.
(Prepared by Damith Kurunduhewa)
