The month of August brings last minute summer getaways before classes are back in session. The summer vacations and road trips bring new adventures to your life, but you are also at a higher risk for identity theft. Not only are you at a higher risk for identity theft while on vacation, this is also the case during the summer for a lot of reasons. Today’s Security State Bank blog has identity protection tips for the end of summer.
Identity protection tips:
While on vacation:
- At your hotel while connected to Wi-Fi, do not access your bank information with the unsecure Wi-Fi connection because a hacker could potentially get your information.
- While away from your phone whether you’re swimming, at a theme park or any other time, put a password protection code on your phone to avoid theft.
- Whenever your card is swiped for payment, be sure the clerk or cashier is not taking note of your card number.
After vacation or anytime at home:
- Watch the transactions on your account to make sure nothing out of the ordinary is happening. Look for transactions from your vacation destination just in case your card could have been compromised while on the trip.
- Talk to your children about email phishing scams and other forms of identity theft. While they use the internet, make sure they know not to click on out of the ordinary emails or messages that come from friends’ accounts because it could be hacked.
- If you feel your card may have been compromised on vacation or otherwise, contact Security State Bank immediately so we are able to watch your account and cancel your card if unusual spending occurs.
Security State Bank wishes you well on your end of summer vacation and we hope you feel protected with our financial services and with these tips.