KILLEEN, Texas — Taking time to unwind with the family is something we all try to do, and bad actors know that.
According to Killeen PD, travelers are at a higher risk of having their personal information and money stolen.
”Absolutely, but not the way we used to with, like they’re still out there with credit card skimmers, they’re still out there at gas stations and different business places,” said Sgt. Zachary Bias, Property Crimes Supervisor with Killeen PD.
Credit card skimmers are less popular now because it is just as easy to get the same information by using public Wi-Fi to access it.
”Public WI-FI has lots of malware, lots of man in the middle of attacks,” said Deepti Gupta Asst. Prof. of CIS for Texas A&M Central Texas. “They can steal your credentials, they can steal your personal information through the public WI-FI. So, even if you go to the hotel, try to avoid using the public WI-FI.”
Another mistake many of us make is giving easy access to our physical documents.
”Renting cars, parking in not secured locations leaving your personal items visible in your car or in your hotel room,” said Sgt. Bias. “Personally, when I travel, I don’t bring with me every single payment method I have available to me. I’ll bring a primary method of payment and maybe a backup.”
You should also backup your documents
”Make sure you scan all the documents and make a copy on the cloud side and whenever your documents are stolen, you can still access them,” said Gupta.
There’s going to be a lot of families getting their last-minute travel plans in.
Sgt. Bias has some simple advice.
”The biggest thing when protecting your identity is one of the simplest things and that’s just being aware of your surroundings,” said Sgt. Bias.
You should also be aware of any booking websites that are not reputable and any callers asking for personal information.
If your information is stolen, contact all of your financial institutions before contacting the police.
They may need information from your bank of other financial institutions.
