Let me preface this post by stating that I’m not into knowing how to crack digital safes; however, I am into knowing more about how to keep my valuables safe while on vacation.

The more I read about others’ travel experiences including tips on how to stay safe while away from home, the more I run into the occasional remark about digital safe theft.  I’ve been using digital safes for many years while on vacation and I’ve never had one personal instance of safe theft….but that doesn’t mean it never happens.  And so I’ve learned a couple of things to do once I’ve checked into my room to see if my safe is as safe as I want it to be.

First, I check and make sure the digital safe is operating correctly (of course, I do not put anything in the safe at this point).  Next, I lock the safe again using my own personal code. Then comes the important part, I see if the safe can be opened with any possible original factory administrator’s default codes (all 0’s, 9;s or 1’s are the most typical).  Don’t do this too many times in a row, the safe may temporarily prevent you from opening it even if you enter your personal code (oh the irony–the safe’s programming detects an attempted theft while it’s being tested for safety).  I’ve seen videos of people just entering 0’s, 1’s, and 9’s to try and open a safe, as well as people pushing the lock button twice and then entering the number sequence.  Here’s a video of one such way to open a Saflok digital safe.

Here’s another video of how to open a slightly different kind of digital safe–I’ve never seen one like this at any new resort I’ve been to, but some older resorts may still be using these types of safes with a dial.

There are other ways to open a digital safe–exposing the small hole in the back of the safe and using a wire to push the reset button, opening the oval plate on the front of the safe and pushing a reset button, using a magnet, etc.  Look it up further, it’s not hard to find reams of videos about this subject matter on YouTube.

Pretty scary stuff.  I’ve only had to have resort staff come on one occasion to open my digital safe because I could not gain access (not a dead battery issue), and they used a digital hand-held device to get it open.  Obviously, mine was a case where just punching in a new resort override code would not have worked.  Bottom line is that if someone is intent on stealing your things from the safe, they may be able to do it, but that doesn’t mean vacationers can’t be as prepared as possible to prevent such an occurrence.  I routinely bring a suitcase lock and secure some items there as well as use my room’s digital safe and cross my fingers…..I imagine resorts have access to their own safes and can secure any valuables you may have; I have never used such a service but it wouldn’t hurt to check if you are worried about theft.

In a nutshell, here are some basic tips to help ensure your digital safe’s security:

• Check your safe to make sure the resort has reprogrammed original factory default codes.
• Be wary of older safes with a dial mechanism.
• Be wary of safes which are not bolted to the wall or a shelf
• Be wary of safes which have an oval nameplate on the front.
• Check and make sure your safe is locked prior to exiting your room (sounds too simple but when you have multiple individuals sharing space it can get complicated).
• Bring a lock and a hard case suitcase just in case you wish to divide your valuables between the safe and your own suitcase.

What do you think?  Have you ever had an experience of safe theft?  How have you dealt with this issue yourselves?