Learning (the Hard Way) to Avoid Fraud While Traveling

It was 4:09 a.m., and I got an alert on my phone that asked me if I had attempted a $150 withdrawal from a bank in India. I had just returned from a fun birthday trip to Toronto, Canada – roughly 12,000 miles away from India. So, needless to say, it wasn’t me who tried to withdraw the cash.

I was hoping for one of those fancy Nespresso coffeemakers for my birthday. Instead, I got a charge for the equivalent of what one would cost, but no coffeemaker in sight. Not exactly the post-birthday celebration gift I had in mind.

How $150 managed to escape my account via a bank in India still remains a mystery to me. I’ve hypothesized various theories, but still haven’t settled on one. An investigation is still in the works, so I’m not sure if my financial institution has figured it out yet either, and if it has, I haven’t been notified about it. Thankfully though, I’ve been reimbursed for the charge.

In restaurants in Toronto, wait staff brings over one of those super convenient, handheld credit card devices to your table when you’re ready to pay, so your card is never out of your sight. The likelihood that a restaurant server wrote down my card information or used a skimmer, which would have had to occur right in front of me, seems super unlikely.

I listen to, read and watch a lot of news (blame it on the journalism degree), and fraud experts are always warning against using public Wi-Fi because you don’t know who set it up – it could be a legitimate business, or it could be some hacker in their basement posing as a business, who then steals all of your information via the unsecure network you just naively joined.

Norton, a digital security company, echoes the experts’ sentiments: “These ‘rogue access points’ trick victims into connecting to what they think is a legitimate network because the name sounds reputable. Say you’re staying at the Goodnyght Inn and want to connect to the hotel’s Wi-Fi. You may think you’re selecting the correct one when you click on ‘GoodNyte Inn,’ but you haven’t. Instead, you’ve just connected to a rogue hotspot set up by cybercriminals who can now view your sensitive information,” according to the Norton website.

Forever the rebel (my mother is likely rolling her eyes and simultaneously nodding her head in agreement right now), I didn’t listen to the news experts or Norton. I also didn’t purchase an international calling plan while in Canada, so I frequently hopped on public Wi-Fi while in Toronto to order Uber rides, check my bank account balance (eek), look for directions and scroll social media (I am a millennial after all).

Ironically, it was my love of iced coffees that may have gotten me into trouble because my friend and I frequently popped into coffee shops and quickly hopped on their Wi-Fi before venturing on to the next spot.

Considering those errors I made, it didn’t come as a massive surprise that someone treated themselves to a $150 gift at my expense. However, I’m a frequent traveler, and I don’t recall this ever happening during or after a trip in the past.

As I mentioned, I’m still not sure if it was the Wi-Fi or another method that provided the golden ticket to my bank account. I may never find out. However, I do know I won’t be using public Wi-Fi again.

Here are some tips that traveling credit union employees and members can use to avoid fraud and have a better trip overall, specifically while traveling internationally:

Fraud-Related Tips

• Get an international calling and data plan so you can avoid using public Wi-Fi networks.
• Limit the number of cards you bring on a trip to two. That way, if your purse is stolen or your cards are compromised, you won’t have to call multiple financial institutions.
• Use a credit card instead of a debit card. It’s often easier to recover funds from a credit card.
• If you’re concerned about using your card at a business, pay with cash instead.
• If available, set up text message fraud alerts. That way, if suspicious card activity occurs, you’ll be notified immediately.
• Monitor your account daily to ensure no fraud is taking place.
• When you’re dining at a restaurant, keep your purse in your lap or at your feet, versus hanging it behind you on the chair.
• Inspect ATM machines for skimming devices. Travel host Rick Steves advised, “Before inserting your card into a cash machine, inspect the front (especially if it’s not inside a bank). If anything looks crooked, loose or damaged – or if the entry to the card slot bulges out dramatically – it could be a sign of a card-skimming device (which captures your keystrokes as you enter your PIN).”

Convenience Tips

• Notify your financial institution before traveling – that way you can avoid unexpected holds on your account.
• American Express and Discover cards are less widely accepted worldwide, so consider bringing a Visa or Mastercard.
• Bring cards with no foreign transaction fees. Cards with fees can add a lot of unexpected expenses during a trip.
• Exchange some money while you’re in the airport, so if you need cash immediately for a taxi or tipping, you’ll have some on hand.

Hopefully these tips will prove useful on your next adventure. I’m thankful to have been reimbursed for the fraudulent charge – perhaps I’ll buy myself that Nespresso coffee maker, or even better, an international calling and data plan to use the next time I travel. No more public Wi-Fi for me!

Tahira Hayes is a correspondent-at-large for CU Times. She can be reached at thayes@cutimes.com.