This article is published in collaboration with Bitdefender.<\/em><\/p>\n You might be one of the most well-traveled, safety-minded people in the world, but travelers especially are at a risk of getting hacked, your identity stolen and potentially falling for clever scams.<\/p>\n As a former IT technician, I like to think I\u2019m pretty \u201cup there\u201d in terms of tech-savviness. But I was utterly confounded when I received an unexpected PayPal invoice from a company I have done business with in the past.<\/p>\n Turns out, it was a fake invoice, sent via PayPal, using that company\u2019s name. And I\u2019m not ashamed to admit that I almost paid it.<\/p>\n Scammers and hackers are getting smarter these days. Scaring you off isn\u2019t my intention, but it helps to be knowledgeable about digital security. Here, I\u2019ve laid out some of my most effective tips for ways you can keep your privacy safe while traveling, starting with the most basic.<\/p>\n This is the easiest to implement and is going to provide the largest amount of protection for the smallest amount of effort.<\/p>\n Two-Factor Authentication, a.k.a. Multi-Factor Authentication (2FA or MFA), requires that you receive a one-time code via text message, email or a secure authentication app like Google Authenticator. This gives you an extra layer of protection on top of your password.<\/p>\n Whenever possible, you should enable two-factor authentication on your accounts.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to know that security questions are not<\/strong> a good safety measure. Security questions can often be a liability, because they\u2019re easy for hackers to figure out. Your mother\u2019s maiden name isn\u2019t such a secret, and someone could probably find your first cat\u2019s name from an old Facebook post.<\/p>\n Another, more secure version of MFA is a hardware authenticator like a YubiKey<\/a>, which requires that you plug in a small USB drive in order to verify that it\u2019s you. Just don\u2019t lose it!<\/p>\n The next highest bang for your buck? Use a VPN.<\/p>\n The concept of a virtual private network (VPN) might seem daunting at first, but it\u2019s actually quite simple. A VPN protects your privacy by routing your internet traffic through a secure data \u201ctunnel.\u201d It also encrypts the traffic, making it unreadable to anyone who does<\/em> find a way to access that tunnel.<\/p>\n On top of that, a VPN will shield your critical data, such as login credentials (usernames and passwords), banking information, and credit card details. Even if a hacker finds their way into your connection, they would only see gibberish instead of actual data.<\/p>\n The Bitdefender VPN<\/a> is one of the best-priced options on the market, providing a super secure connection at an incredibly reasonably price. A VPN can also help you access blocked websites (depending on the country you\u2019re visiting), VoIP services, and streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime.<\/p>\n Concerned that, even if you enable 2FA, a hacker could still get into your phone and intercept the one-time code? You should be.<\/p>\n This is a real world scenario with real world consequences. And the solution is simple: lock your SIM card with a pin number.<\/p>\n Not only does it protect your phone number if your phone gets stolen, but it denies all access to the SIM card without a password\u2014hackers included.<\/p>\n Depending on the type of phone you\u2019re using, you should be able to find the SIM PIN in your settings. For example, with an iPhone, just go to Settings and then Cellular. Note: you\u2019ll have to retrieve the original PIN first, aka the Pin Unlock Key (PUK). Just check with your service provider.\u00a0<\/p>\n I am more and more amazed by how sneaky and clever scammers have become. Scams and phishing attempts are getting quite advanced, and sometimes even I have trouble figuring out what\u2019s legit.\u00a0<\/p>\n Terrible spelling errors and obvious fake emails are a clear red flag, but that\u2019s just the tip of the iceberg.<\/p>\n First of all, don\u2019t respond to text messages if you don\u2019t know who the sender is. Scammers often send out texts en masse, and if you respond, you\u2019re validating your phone number. They may try to hack your phone or use your phone number elsewhere for authentication purposes.<\/p>\n Another call to lock your SIM with a pin code.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t ever click links from emails or texts from your bank or other social media platforms without double checking everything (and even calling your bank if necessary). Scammers will sometimes pretend to be your bank, send you low balance alerts via text or email, and ask you to click a link. This takes you to a spoofed website that looks like the official bank website, and you\u2019ll end up entering your bank details and getting ripped off.<\/p>\n And then there are the realistic messages from Facebook, Instagram, or other social media platforms. Recently I received an email from Instagram that looked to be completely legitimate, saying my content was a copyright infringement. The link provided brought me to a fake website asking me to enter my Instagram credentials to view the details of the infringement.<\/p>\n If you receive strange messages from a Facebook or Instagram friend, question everything<\/em>. A few weeks ago, an Instagram friend asked me to vote for them in a contest. I said of course, and they asked for my phone number to send me a link to vote. Then they wanted me to screenshot the link and send it to them. What really happened? They sent me an Instagram password reset URL and were looking to manually steal my account.\u00a0<\/p>\n Finally, don\u2019t pay invoices you\u2019re not expecting. This seems obvious, but some people are sending legit invoices through PayPal and Quickbooks. It\u2019s like spam, but instead of sending emails from made up email addresses, they\u2019re sending legitimate invoices through legitimate platforms. It\u2019s easy to get confused.<\/p>\n How many different passwords do you use? Hopefully more than one.<\/p>\n For the highest level of security, you should use a different password for every single account you have. These days, that\u2019s not just a suggestion, but a basic requirement. If you\u2019re using a single password for every one of your accounts, someone else could use it to access every other account you own.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say your Netflix account gets hacked\u2014now they have your primary password. If that password is the same as your online banking, you\u2019re in big trouble.<\/p>\n Of course, there\u2019s no way you\u2019ll be able to remember dozens, hundreds or even thousands of passwords (and if you store all your passwords in a Word doc on your desktop\u2026I don\u2019t know what to tell you). By using a password manager like the one from Bitdefender<\/a>, you can store all your passwords in one secure \u201cvault,\u201d and access them using a single universal password.<\/p>\n That means you only have to use one password to access all of your passwords, and if one account gets compromised, that security issue is isolated to that one account.<\/p>\n I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve heard of all the usual credit card hacks, like skimming<\/a> (where debit card and credit data is stolen when the user is at an ATM). But credit card hackers are a lot more clever these days.<\/p>\n We\u2019re inundated with ads constantly, whether it\u2019s TikTok or Facebook or Instagram\u2013but it\u2019s hard to know which companies are legit. And those companies might be selling your info to third party companies.<\/p>\n For example, one of my friends kept getting her Visa compromised. When she called to figure out why, the representative told her to start reviewing all of her bank statements and to remove any saved credit card data with vendors.<\/p>\n For one-time payments, some banks will even give you a \u201cvirtual\u201d credit card number, which is a virtual card form of your physical credit card. Bank of America will give you a unique card number within a digital wallet that\u2019s different from your physical card, so it can\u2019t be accessed from your digital wallet if your phone is stolen.\u00a0<\/p>\n Public, unsecured WiFi networks can pose risks to your privacy and security, mainly because they\u2019re wide open to everyone. If you have no trouble connecting to this network, neither does anyone else. It\u2019s kinda like leaving your front door open. Eventually, an unwanted guest is going to get in.<\/p>\n If a hacker is using the same open network as you, they can read all your messages, steal private data, and even infiltrate your devices to keep stealing data even after you\u2019ve signed off for the evening.\u00a0<\/p>\n You can prevent this from happening by avoiding using public WiFi networks, especially if they lack password protection. It\u2019s also a good idea to avoid WiFi networks where the password is readily on display (for example, in a cafe or at a hotel). You can disable your auto-connect as well, so that you don\u2019t automatically connect to open networks.\u00a0<\/p>\n Avoiding public WiFi altogether is pretty well impossible though, especially if you\u2019re working while on the road. If you have no other choice but to use such a network, consider strengthening the security of your device by using a VPN.<\/p>\n On the topic of password protection, it\u2019s\u00a0also wise to change your passwords regularly and check whether your credentials have been leaked. For example, if you use Google Chrome, you can go to your Password Manager > Privacy and Security and check for data breaches and security issues. I do this regularly (once a month or so). It\u2019s super simple.<\/p>\n Or, you can use a handy piece of software like Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection<\/a> that will scan the web for personal data leaks and continuously monitor if your accounts are exposed. Having a dependable identify protection service goes a long way in giving you peace of mind.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve now officially moved into the more boring, technical parts of online security, but stay with me.<\/p>\n HTTP was the standard for years, but nowadays most websites use HTTPS to protect visitors from privacy violations. Like a VPN, HTTPS also relies on encryption to prevent attackers from intercepting data that\u2019s being shared between a website and its visitors.<\/p>\n This includes messages, emails, transfers, banking information, credit card details and login credentials. The whole idea is that hackers won\u2019t be able to decipher data between you and a website if HTTPS is being used.<\/p>\n Modern web browsers, such as Google Chrome, display HTTPS websites differently than HTTP ones. You can check if the website you\u2019re visiting uses HTTPS by taking a quick look at the address bar. HTTP websites are flagged as Not secure,<\/em> whereas HTTPS websites display a padlock icon next to the URL on the left.<\/p>\n1. Use Two-Factor Authentication\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
2. Protect Your Privacy With a VPN<\/span><\/h2>\n
3. Lock Your SIM Card With a Pin Number<\/span><\/h2>\n
4. Watch For Scams and Phishing Attempts<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/travelfreak.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/laptop-thailand-1200x800.jpg\")
<\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\n5. Use a Password Manager<\/span><\/h2>\n
6. Only Make Online Payments With Trusted Vendors<\/span><\/h2>\n
7. Know the Risks of Open Networks<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/travelfreak.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/macbook-coffee-1200x800.jpg\")
<\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\n7. Monitor Your Accounts<\/span><\/h2>\n
8. Use Only HTTPS Websites<\/span><\/h2>\n