Dubai: If you’re planning to travel this Eid, you may be worried about falling victim to some kind of financial fraud.
You are not alone. Research by Russian antivirus firm Kaspersky found that 45 per cent of travellers believe losing money in a scam is one of the top three threats they may face while travelling. Most financial fears expressed in the survey, which polled worldwide users, focused on stolen credit card data.
These concerns are well-founded, according to the antivirus firm. Close to a quarter of survey respondents said that they had lost money through fraud while travelling. A further 8 per cent had been a victim of credit card fraud abroad. Kaspersky advises travellers to keep their plastic in clear sight.
The biggest way to put yourself at risk is through public WiFi hotspots, often accessed by travellers on the move. Around one in three users said they stayed safe by using a secure connection, known as VPN. Almost one in five surveyed said that they did nothing at all to stay protected on public WiFi.
“As we approach the Eid Al Adha holidays, we urge travellers to be more cyber savvy,” said Kaspersky researcher David Emm.
“It’s all too easy to connect via potentially insecure WiFi abroad, then continue our normal habits of banking and shopping online without stopping to think about the consequences.”
