Identity fraud cases are The highest in historyand it is often the tourists in danger.
The personal information we are asked to hand over while traveling is increasing. Traveling in Spain, thanks to a new law, with unspecified provisions for renting a car or checking out any type of short-term accommodation visitors (including hotels, rental properties and campsites) can now be handed over A large amount of personal data to strangers with insecure storage systems.
Dr. Miguel Oliveros, a border security expert at the University of Da Cruña, Spain, is one of several experts who have expressed concern about the law.
“I actually have an apartment I rented and the guests have to give me their ID,” Oliverros said. “Then enter their information [government’s] Website, but I’ve never seen any information related to when to delete this information, or any suggestions I’m obliged to delete it, although it’s obvious to me. Of course, people with sinister intentions are at risk. ”
Although cases of identity theft-related criminal offenders have increased overall worldwide, the methods used by criminals vary by region.
“Wi-Fi Attacks and ATM card plunder Professor Ryan Wright, a cybersecurity expert at the University of Virginia, said: “It seems more common in parts of Europe than in Asia. QR code scam– Criminals replace legitimate QR code with malicious code to redirect users to harmful websites, which is more common in Asia. ”
But before canceling summer vacation, please fire. We have baked some of the world’s top data security experts to figure out some simple precautions how to keep you and your data safer when you’re abroad.
1. Proficient in selfies.
Part of a selfie with posting a pre-flight? Make sure your vacation photos do not contain any sensitive information. Photos should never be taken with boarding passes and passports. Scammers usually use social media when getting detailed information about potential victims, and on vacation we usually upload more photos.
The United States Anti-fishing Working Group (APWG) recently revealed that attacks on social media platforms account for 30% of all phishing attacks. (You should also consider waiting to post a vacation photo until you return home so as not to announce to the world that your home is empty.)
2. Risk of transmission.
Criminals love travelers, they put everything in one place. The thief’s holy grail is tourists who hide cash at the same location as their passport, emergency contact and credit card (ideally adjacent to the scrap of paper written down the sale). Separate your sensitive properties, which provide the biggest clues to your identity – for example, people who can be used to access a bank account.
“The risk is always spreading,” Professor Wall said. “I usually take an old backup phone while on vacation and separate it from the main phone. Meanwhile, I lock my secondary credit card and passport in hotel security.” (But even a hotel safe,” he said. There can be moments when they are unsafeso make sure you keep a copy of your passport information page elsewhere, for example on the cloud. )
3. Use a prepaid card.
We like prepaid debit cards, not just because they encourage more mindful spending. When you use them, the risk of victims of identity fraud is much lower, simply because they are not directly tied to your bank account.
The best thing? Your purchase is still protected. Once you register a prepaid card with its issuer, the Consumer Financial Protection Agency requires protection in the event of loss or theft.
4. Hug VPN.
Using the Virtual Private Network (VPN) provided by NORDVPN, a layer of protection will be added when surfing the Internet.
“Always use a reputable VPN when connecting to the internet abroad,” said Professor Wright of the University of Virginia. “Cybercriminals often Invasion of wireless access points In hotels, restaurants or coffee shops, to intercept communications and capture sensitive data in order to access important accounts or systems. A VPN prevents these attacks by encrypting all communications, ensuring that even if someone intercepts your data, it remains unreadable. ”
5. Talk is not always good.
Maybe that cute lady at the airport is indeed conducting a survey of travelers’ travel plans, maybe the guy outside your hotel is actually interested in knowing where you are from, but when you go abroad, always be alert to any personal information requests without who they come from, or how innocent they seem.
Professor Wall said: “Always be alert to people who are trying to ‘social engineers’ you provide information about yourself.”
6. Safety before the game.
Professor William Kresse (nickname: Professor of Fraud), located at Governor’s State University in Chicago, is an expert in identity theft and a certified fraud examiner. His best tips?
“Before traveling, please visit the U.S. State Department Travel Website (travel.state.gov), click the International Travel tab, then scroll down and enter the name of the country you want to be in the Understand Destination tab. You will find a vast amount of valuable security information collected for the country by U.S. State Department staff, including information about the prevalence of crimes such as crime theft. ”
7. Propose a safe word.
Safe discourses are not only targeting secret agents and naughty encounters, but also reducing the risk of identity fraud. “Talk with your family before you leave and design and agree to a safe discourse,” said Professor Kresse. “The word of safety should be a unique word or term that only travelers know.”
Why? “Fraudsters start using AI to make audio, even video – sounds like someone [you know],” said Professor Kresse: “You can sample sounds from social media sites and then Manipulate to make false requests. ”
Kresse said you should get your family home to agree that unless they see or hear the password of your choice, they should treat any request for funds or information as a scam.
8. Choose your network carefully.
If you try to log in to the internet at a hotel or restaurant, there are likely to be multiple networks to choose from, one for night guests and the other for day guests. Don’t just click on the first one containing the hotel name. Instead, asking employees is a legitimate network.
“It is well known that criminals will create Rogue Wi-Fi network with legal namesuch as starbucks_free_wifi, deceives unsuspecting users to connect. ”
9. Please keep an eye on your key card.
Easy to tow items from hotels? Place the key card at the top of the list.
“I always carry my electronic hotel key cards with me and I’m safely disposing of them at home,” Professor Wright said. “These key cards usually contain sensitive information, such as your room number, check-in date and checkout date, and sometimes even personal details related to your hotel reservation. Handling them properly can ensure that others cannot access or abuse this information after your stay.”
10. Create a travel-only account.
To avoid giving away your real home address to a stranger behind a desk, ask your friend if you can use their accommodation or set up a PO Box for this purpose. Register for assistive emails that are not connected to any sensitive accounts, rather than using your primary email address or phone number. If the Identity Thieves do not have the correct confirmation details, you cannot crack your account.
Don’t be so focused on identity fraud that you also forget to take basic daily precautions, including credit cards with wireless payment capabilities. Professor Wall said: “Always remember to be vigilant.” “Rotters are often now Using electric scooter In tourist hotspots, so don’t put it in a pocket or bag that can be easily snatched and make sure your Wallet has RFID protection Therefore, it cannot be scanned. ”
To thwart pickpockets and scammers, you can even carry them Bait wallet Filled with expired credit cards and a small amount of local cash, it looks convincing.
11. Handle QR codes with caution.
AI is not the only technology that makes criminals more prone to causing serious damage. The Quick Response (QR) code is another example, in an era when restaurants often use avid restaurants to save money on printing menus in foreign languages, it’s easy to disappoint you.
“Don’t click on the link to an unsolicited email or text message or scan the QR code,” said Professor Wright of the University of Virginia. ” Instead, enter the website address directly into the browser to make sure you want to navigate to a legitimate website.”
12. Prepare a crisis plan.
We are all positive, but if a disaster strikes, taking simple precautions can make your life easier. But don’t believe our words. Take note of the advice of Professor David S. Wall, the top expert in identity fraud in Europe:
“Make sure you know what’s on devices like your phone and laptop,” Propf said, Wall, currently located at the University of Leeds Criminal Justice Center. “Back up content to the cloud, keep passwords and information in a secure location, and take a moment to think about how you will recover your data when the device is stolen.”