5 Tips for Staying Cyber-Secure on Your Summer Vacation
5. Use mobile payment applications where you can.
According to an iovation study released last week, travel transactions from a mobile device were 14% higher during summer months compared to the rest of 2015, and 40% higher than the summer of 2014. In addition, online fraud originating from a mobile device increased 18% during an average summer month in 2015.
Despite this increase in mobile fraud, Irvine recommends that vacationers use mobile payment applications wherever they can.
Paying with apps such as Apple Pay and Android Pay work similarly to the new chip technology in that they only transmit a transaction number, not all of your account information. And all of the information in these apps is encrypted, making them more secure than swiping a card through a magnetic strip. And if you lose your phone, the hacker will need to know your phone password and your payment app password in order to access your account. If a cybercriminal gets a hold of your physical payment cards, they have all the information they need right there, especially if it’s a credit card and a PIN is not required.
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