How a simple pen can open your padlocked luggage

During a recent survey conducted on the Travel at 60 Facebook page, the community was asked whether or not they put a padlock on their suitcase when they travel. More than 90 people responded to the question and it was found that an overwhelming majority of people said that they always use a padlock when they go away on holiday. But thanks to YouTube channel Hack It, passengers are realising that a simple padlock isn’t as secure as you might think.

Read more: How to get your luggage off the plane first

A TSA padlock is used on the suitcase:

Then a pen is used to split the zipper apart:

Then the suitcase is re-zipped so it doesn’t look like it’s been tampered with:

If this is the first time you’ve heard about this happening, then it might come as quite a shock. But this is reportedly how flight staff do bag checks or go through suspect luggage.

If you are worried about having your items stolen using this method, then there are things you can do to make sure it doesn’t happen to you.

One option is to attach a zip tie to the handle of your luggage and connect that to your padlock, that way it won’t be possible for the suitcase to be resealed. This also means that thieves might be less inclined to tamper with your bag in the first place.

If you use a zip tie with a serial number, you’ll also be able to find out if it’s been removed and replaced.

Take a look at the video to get a good idea of just how a pen can open padlocked luggage.

Has something like this happened to you? Let us know in the comments section below.