Stay One Step Ahead: Smart Tips to Prevent Fraud While You Travel
Vacations are a great time to relax and spend time with your loved ones. However, there are specific risks to keep in mind when you travel – especially in the age of digital threats. Even the simplest precautions can keep you safe from cyber criminals who hope to gain your personal information. Here are some key steps to prevent fraud as you travel:
- Avoid Posting Travel Plans: Your vacation plans are valuable information to cyber criminals, allowing them to target you with personalized scams.
- Monitor Account Activity: Regularly check your transaction history and account activity both during and after your trip. By enabling account alerts, you’ll be notified of unusual activity in real time.
- Be Wary of Suspicious Messages: Be cautious of emails, text messages, or phone calls that request personal information, even if they appear to come from familiar companies. Remember that your bank will never contact you requesting confidential information, such as your PIN or account number.
- Use Secure Wi-Fi: Avoid making transactions or accessing sensitive information on open networks. For secure browsing, use a VPN.
- Protect Your Devices: Before leaving for your trip, confirm that you are using strong and unique passwords. It can also be helpful to enable device-tracking features and new software to ensure that everything is up to date.
By far, the most important piece of advice is to communicate with your bank. Let your bank know that you are traveling and familiarize yourself with the controls available in our App or Online Banking, such as adding travel plans, setting spending limits, turning your card on/off, receiving unusual activity alerts, and tracking transactions. When in doubt – whether it’s a suspicious email, a fraudulent transaction, or a login you don’t recognize – call your bank to verify your account security.