Your
summer
vacation
is
approaching
quickly!
You
can’t
wait
to
take
time
away
from
your
responsibilities,
jump
out
of
your
daily
routine,
and
splash
into
a
new
adventure.
You
may
be
taking
time
off,
but
you
can
be
sure
cybercriminals
won’t
take
a
break.
While
traveling,
you
may
encounter
scams,
theft,
and
identity
theft
that
put
your
personal
information,
devices,
and
online
privacy
in
jeopardy.
McAfee’s
Safer
Summer
Holidays
Travel
Report
surveyed
7,000
people
across
seven
countries
to
discover
how
safe
it
is
to
plan
and
book
travel
online,
and
how
cautious
people
are
when
interacting
with
digital
tools
while
traveling
abroad.
The
infographic
below
details
the
key
insights.
The
research
reveals
30%
of
adults
have
fallen
victim
or
know
someone
who
has
fallen
victim
to
an
online
scam
while
trying
to
save
money
when
booking
travel.
34%
of
those
who
had
money
stolen
have
lost
over
$1,000
before
their
trip
has
even
begun,
while
66%
lost
up
to
$1,000.
62%
of
all
vacationers
will
travel
domestically
this
year
and
42%
will
do
so
internationally.
With
inflation
and
the
cost-of-living
crisis,
the
research
reveals
new
concerns
for
leisure-seekers
who,
in
their
quest
for
a
good
deal,
may
be
more
likely
to
fall
for
a
scam.
With
94%
of
people
booking
travel
online
this
year,
it
can
be
easy
to
get
lured
into
a
deal
that’s
too
good
to
be
true.
In
today’s
economic
environment,
adults
are
more
likely
to
seek
out
a
bargain
deal
online
(56%),
move
quickly
to
snap
up
a
deal
(45%),
try
a
new
booking
site
(35%)
and
even
a
new
destination
(36%),
in
order
to
save
money.
However,
travel
seekers
need
to
stay
vigilant
to
avoid
falling
for
a
scam.
Travel
scams
can
take
many
forms,
with
the
research
finding
14%
of
all
adults
have
been
tricked
into
making
payments
through
fraudulent
platforms
and
18%
have
had
their
identity
stolen
when
booking
online.
Of
this
portion,
7%
entered
passport
information
and
11%
provided
other
personally
identifiable
information
to
a
fake
website.
Discrepancies
Between
Consumers’
Sentiments
and
Behaviors
The
research
also
uncovered
a
discrepancy
between
people’s
sentiments
and
behaviors,
as
well
as
online
safety
best
practices
when
travelling.
In
total,
61%
of
people
are
more
concerned
about
digital
threats
than
physical
ones,
such
as
being
pickpocketed,
and
85%
of
adults
hold
either
some
or
high
concern
around
their
identity
being
compromised
as
part
of
their
travel.
Despite
this,
48%
admitted
to
being
less
security
conscious
when
on
holiday.
Whether
it’s
connecting
to
Wi-Fi
networks
even
though
they
look
a
bit
suspicious
(22%),
using
a
free
USB
charging
port
at
an
airport
or
train
station
(26%),
or
leaving
their
Netflix
account
logged
in
after
checking
out
of
their
accommodation
(17%),
significant
numbers
of
people
have
engaged
in
activities
that
could
put
them
at
increased
risk
of
crime
while
traveling.
It’s
not
that
people
are
unaware
of
the
dangers
either.
While
44%
of
people
think
their
personal
information
is
less
secure
when
they
connect
to
the
internet
while
on
vacation,
less
than
half
(43%)
make
use
of
any
services
to
monitor
the
safety
of
their
online
identity,
and
50%
don’t
use
a
VPN
while
on
vacation.
Of
those
that
do,
20%
only
do
so
because
they
want
to
stream
geo-specific
content.
Knowing
the
risks
doesn’t
stop
travelers
from
engaging
in
the
behavior.
While
social
media
is
by
far
the
most
common
online
activity
for
people
to
use
their
phones
for
while
on
vacation
(60%),
also
common
are
chatting
with
friends
and
family
(55%),
online
banking
(35%)
and
sending
money
via
apps
such
as
PayPal
or
Venmo
(22%).
“People
are
often
more
relaxed
and
carefree
when
away
from
home,
but
it’s
never
been
more
important
to
remain
vigilant
when
traveling,”
says
Cagla
Ruacan,
McAfee’s
Head
of
Product
Strategy
and
Insights.
“From
the
moment
you
open
your
laptop
to
book
a
vacation,
to
when
you
log
into
airport
Wi-Fi
while
waiting
for
the
flight
home,
staying
alert
and
taking
precautions
helps
keep
yourself
and
your
loved
ones
safe
from
online
travel
scams.
Taking
early
and
proactive
steps
to
manage
your
security,
privacy
and
online
identity
means
you’ll
be
able
to
more
safely
and
confidently
enjoy
your
well-earned
vacation.”
How
to
Protect
Yourself
from
Online
Summer
Travel
Scams
1.
Level
Up
Your
Device
Security
When
you
lose
your
mobile
phone,
you’re
not
just
losing
an
expensive
gadget.
You’re
also
losing
control
of
all
the
valuable
personally
identifiable
information
(PII)
stored
on
it.
Be
especially
aware
of
your
surroundings
when
you’re
on
vacation.
Pickpockets
like
to
congregate
in
tourist
hotspots,
at
home
and
abroad.
They
take
advantage
of
distracted
out-of-towners
or
awestruck
sightseers
who
are
less
aware
of
suspicious
behavior.
Before
you
leave,
familiarize
yourself
with
common
pickpocketing
schemes.
For
example,
if
a
stranger
on
the
street
asks
you
the
time,
avoid
eye
contact
and
keep
walking.
In
this
scam,
the
stranger
will
comment
on
your
watch
or
try
to
strike
up
a
conversation
while
their
partner
scopes
out
your
back
pockets.
It
seems
impolite
to
ignore
someone,
but
if
they
truly
need
to
know
the
time,
they
can
ask
someone
else.
Also,
how
many
people
are
there
who
don’t
have
a
time-telling
device
on
them?
When
walking
around
a
city
or
taking
public
transportation,
keep
your
phone
in
your
front
pockets
or
in
a
zippered
bag
that
you
can
hold
around
your
front.
Consider
buying
a
phone
tether
or
lanyard
for
your
phone.
This
will
make
your
phone
much
more
difficult
to
lift
since
it’s
securely
wrapped
around
your
body.
2.
Proactively
Protect
Your
Identity
Before
you
hop
on
the
plane,
train,
or
automobile,
consider
investing
in
identity
protection.
This
way,
you
can
proactively
head
off
any
issues
that
could
arise
when
you
should
be
relaxing.
For
instance,
if
your
wallet
is
misplaced
or
stolen
while
on
vacation,
a
dark
cloud
of
“what
ifs”
won’t
follow
you.
What
if
someone
took
the
contents
of
your
wallet
and
posted
your
details
online?
What
if
someone
used
those
details
to
impersonate
you
online?
Identity
monitoring
lessens
the
possibility
of
these
“what
ifs”
happening
to
you.
Plus,
if
someone
stole
your
identity
and
caused
financial
damages,
identity
theft
coverage
and
restoration
can
recoup
your
losses
and
the
associated
costs
necessary
to
restore
your
good
online
standing.
In
2021,
identity
fraud
affected
42
million
adults
and
losses
totaled
$52
billion.
Identity
monitoring
may
help
you
avoid
becoming
part
of
these
staggering
statistics.
3.
Lock
Your
Credit
Consider
freezing
your
credit
before
you
leave
on
vacation.
A
frozen
credit
means
that
credit
bureaus
will
prevent
anyone
(including
you)
from
signing
up
for
a
new
credit
card
in
your
name.
So,
in
case
your
wallet
or
passport
goes
missing
or
you
paid
with
your
credit
card
at
an
establishment
of
dubious
character,
you
can
sleep
soundly
knowing
that
your
hard-earned
credit
score
is
intact.
It’s
a
good
idea
to
lock
your
credit
before
an
incident
occurs
because
speed
is
key
to
heading
off
a
thief.
Additionally,
if
you’re
traveling
abroad,
it
may
be
difficult
to
connect
to
phone
numbers
in
your
home
country,
especially
if
you
didn’t
sign
up
for
a
roaming
cellular
plan.
4.
Sign
up
for
a
VPN
A
virtual
private
network
(VPN)
is
a
must-have
online
tool
to
keep
your
online
comings
and
goings
private
when
you’re
on
public
Wi-Fi.
A
VPN
is
software
that
scrambles
your
internet
traffic,
making
it
nearly
impossible
for
a
cybercriminal
to
digitally
eavesdrop.
When
traveling,
especially
if
you
don’t
sign
up
for
a
roaming
cellular
or
data
plan,
you’ll
rely
solely
on
public
Wi-Fi
networks
in
hotels,
restaurants,
libraries,
and
transportation
hubs.
Even
if
your
accommodation’s
network
is
password
protected
and
is
offered
only
to
guests,
it’s
still
best
to
surf
with
the
protection
of
a
VPN
because
you
can’t
be
sure
of
the
intentions
of
the
hundreds
of
people
connected
to
it.
VPNs
aren’t
difficult
to
set
up
and
once
you’re
up
and
running
they’re
easy
to
use
and
do
not
slow
your
internet
speed.
But
because
you’d
rather
be
poolside
instead
of
comparing
VPN
plans,
it’s
best
to
sign
up
and
become
acquainted
with
the
software
before
you
jet
off.
5.
Prepare
for
the
Possibilities
The
best
defense
against
cybercriminals
and
thieves
is
to
arm
yourself
with
knowledge.
The
more
aware
you
are
of
their
schemes,
the
better
you
can
sniff
them
out
and
avoid
them.
A
few
weeks
before
you
leave
on
vacation,
check
the
news
and
read
up
on
reports
about
common
emerging
scams.
For
example,
be
wary
of
public
charging
stations
as
criminals
are
pumping
USB
charging
ports
with
malware,
according
to
the
FBI.1
Awareness
of
schemes
like
this
one
can
help
you
better
prepare
before
you
leave
for
vacation.
Always
leave
enough
time
to
fully
charge
your
device
before
adventuring
for
the
day
and
consider
packing
your
own
power
bank
if
your
device’s
battery
life
is
unreliable.
Also,
if
you’re
traveling
to
another
country,
make
sure
to
pack
a
plug
converter
so
you
can
plug
your
devices
into
outlets
instead
of
USB
ports.
Vacation
With
Cyber
Confidence
McAfee+
is
an
excellent
everyday
online
security
partner.
The
all-in-one
identity
and
online
protection
tool
keep
you
safe
wherever
you
are
in
the
world.
The
unlimited
VPN
will
protect
your
online
privacy
while
on
public
Wi-Fi.
Plus,
the
service
includes
credit
lock,
which
allows
you
to
lock
and
unlock
your
credit
at
the
press
of
a
button.
Finally,
for
peace
of
mind,
if
your
identity
is
ever
compromised,
McAfee+
offers
lost
wallet
protection
and
$1
million
in
identity
theft
coverage.
Don’t
let
the
thought
of
thieves
–
those
of
the
cyber
and
traditional
variety
–
spoil
your
long-anticipated
vacation.
Enjoy
your
fun
in
the
sun
with
peace
of
mind
that
you’re
prepared
to
overcome
any
hurdle.
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