Summer Travel Protection

Summer welcomes the season of traveling. While vacationing, it’s important to keep yourself protected from fraud, identity theft and other privacy risk. Use the following tips to avoid scammers and cybercriminals.

During your warm-weather getaway, you’ll most likely connect to public Wi-Fi to share your trip on social media. Scammers have learned how to create fake Wi-Fi networks with authentic-sounding names to spy on you, track you and plant malware on your device. It is difficult to tell the difference between an authentic Wi-Fi network and a fake one. To avoid falling into a scammer trap, download a Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN encrypts your connection while delivering your data anonymously. This means no one can access your personal information, online activity or location.

Scammers are your biggest threat, but what happens if you lose your device? Leaving your device unattended in public can lead to device theft. You can buy a new phone or laptop but it is much harder to retrieve your private information. Be sure to secure your devices with a strong pin so thieves cannot access your device. More importantly, use cloud storage to regularly back up your data. In case your device is stolen, you will still have access to all your information!

Scammers continue to get more creative with their methods. They can now secure access to your phone through public USB chargers. “Juice jacking” occurs when scammers load malware into a USB charging cable and infect your plugged-in device. Make sure you avoid all public USB chargers along with keeping your devices anti-virus software up to date.

When you’re on the go, you will most likely swipe your credit card or use a public ATM. Months later you could find that fraudsters have taken your identity via bank account. If your identity has been stolen, you want to know right away to limit damage. By using a credit management service, your accounts will be monitored 24/7 to alert you quickly of any financial activity in your name. With these helpful tips you and your loved ones can avoid the privacy risks that come with traveling!

5 Tips for Protecting your Privacy and Identity During Summer Travel