5 Privacy and Identity Protection Tips for Vacation Travel
IDX, a digital privacy protection company, recently published the following tips on protecting your privacy and identity while traveling that we would like to share with you. Hackers and scammers don’t take vacations; and look forward to this time of year to take advantage of increased travel. This is definitely not the time to let your guard down when it comes to protecting your digital identity and privacy.
Problem 1: Fake or unsecured Wi-Fi networks
You are shopping with your family to take advantage of special Christmas offers. You want to download some vacation photos that a friend just sent you, so you search for available Wi-Fi networks. The first one that shows up is an open network with a name that sounds vaguely like it’s intended for store visitors. (Your phone may have even automatically joined the network.) There’s no security protection, but you’ll only be logged in for a few minutes, right? Later, you discover that your identity has been stolen or that malware has infected your device.
Advice: Use a VPN (virtual private network). Connecting to a public Wi-Fi network is risky, because others can potentially spy on you, track you, or plant malware on your device. Scammers can even create fake networks with authentic-sounding names to steal your personal data. When using public Wi-Fi, it’s best to use a virtual private network (VPN). It encrypts your connection and delivers your data anonymously, so no one can access your personal information, online activity, or location.
Problem 2: Device theft
You are in a ski lodge and realize you left a glove in the bathroom. You leave your table for a few minutes, only to return to find the phone you left on your chair is gone.
Advice: Protect your devices and back up your data. Never leave a laptop or mobile device unattended in public places. Also, make sure your phone is always locked with a strong PIN and your tablet or laptop is locked with a hard-to-guess password. (IDX Password Manager can create and store strong passwords for you.) Use cloud storage or an external storage device to regularly back up your device data so that if your device is stolen, you’ll still have access to your information.
Problem 3: Credit or financial fraud
You’re on the go and you just swiped your credit card at a gas pump, or used your debit card at a public ATM. Only later, perhaps months later, do you discover that scammers have used theft devices or similar means to steal your identity through your credit or bank account. Fraudulent activity has been performed in her name and her credit has been affected.
Advice: Regularly check your credit. If your identity has been stolen, it’s critical to find out right away so you can limit the damage. Monitor your credit report for any new financial activity in your name, so you can act quickly if something seems suspicious.
Problem 4: Malware planted on public USB chargers
Your phone is running low on power, so you recharge it by plugging it into a handy USB charging outlet in your hotel lobby or at the mall. What you didn’t count on is the transfer of spyware or malware from the USB charger to your phone.
Advice: Use AC chargers and keep your software up to date. It’s called “juice jacking”: scammers load malware into the infrastructure of the USB charging station or into the cables they leave connected to the station. From there, they can infect your connected device and, in turn, brick it or steal your data. Avoid public USB chargers, especially in malls or pop-up vacation areas, and use an AC outlet instead. Keep your device’s operating software, as well as any antivirus software, up to date to ensure you have the latest security patches.
Problem 5: Declined credit card purchases
You have just had dinner at a restaurant after a long day of travel. You hand over your credit card to the server, only to have them come back and tell you the transaction has been declined. Then he discovers that his credit account has been blocked because the purchase seems suspicious. It’s one of those cases where fraud hasn’t actually occurred, but the credit card company thinks it has.
Advice: Set up a travel alert. Many credit card providers allow you to notify them if you’re traveling out of your home state, so they won’t decline an out-of-state purchase or block your account because it looks fraudulent. It’s especially important to set up an alert if you’re using a card for the first time or the first time in a long time.
With these simple steps, you can have more peace of mind using electronic devices and credit cards while traveling on vacation, and focus your attention on fun and loved ones where it belongs.
Source: news.google.com