Cape Town - According to research from Kaspersky Lab, consumers – including holiday makers and business travellers, conduct a lot of financial operations online when abroad, putting themselves at risk when they are not properly protected.
The research discovered that 48 percent of South African travellers believe losing money is one of the top-three threats they may face abroad, and credit card compromise is considered to be a top-three threat by 39 percent of local users.
These concerns are well-founded – the research also highlighted that there is a real danger when it comes to losing money when travelling: 26 percent of local respondents have experienced such a loss, and eight person globally have had a card compromised whilst in a foreign country.
It’s not surprising that travellers are becoming victims of cybercrime. 77 percent of South African travellers connect to public Wi-Fi anywhere when abroad and, using this potentially risky connection which can be intercepted and used by cybercriminals, 72 percent of consumers bank online and 63 percent shop online.
”In today’s connected world, we are able to travel easily, for work or pleasure, and stay connected whilst we do. This ability brings with it amazing and exciting opportunities, but also exposes us to dangers if we are not careful. It’s all too easy to connect via potentially insecure Wi-Fi abroad then continue our normal habits of banking and shopping online, without stopping to think about the consequences of what we are doing.
“As we approach the holiday season, we urge travellers to be more cyber savvy, think twice about their online activities abroad and put measures in place to protect their money from harm,” says David Emm, Principal Security Researcher at Kaspersky Lab.
To prevent the loss of money, users should behave safely when they are abroad. They should never lose sight of their credit cards, only connect to the Internet via a secure VPN connection, and use a robust security feature to protect themselves.
Adapted from a press release for IOL