Three things you should never do with your mobile phone at an airport – even if they ask you to
A TRAVEL security expert has revealed three ways Brit holidaymakers can keep their mobile devices safe inside an airport.
Being at an airport is an exciting time; however, the holiday buzz can cause many travellers to drop their guard.
Carolyn Pearson is a security expert and businesswoman who wants to make travel safer.
As the CEO and Founder of Maiden Voyage, she shares safety tips, tricks, hacks and advice with holidaymakers.
Airport WiFi
She told Sun Online Travel: “Don’t connect to airport Wi-Fi because your personal data can be stolen by criminals.”
Tech experts have previously warned holidaymakers to be very careful about the wifi networks they connect to, with “evil twin” scams becoming more prevalent.
The scam involves hackers setting up fake wifi hotspots in the airport with names similar to that of the airport’s official wifi network.
Then, when passengers try and connect to that network, they unwittingly give the hackers access to all the bank details that are stored on their computers.
Instead of connecting to the Wi-Fi at the airport, Carolyn recommends downloading in-flight entertainment on a secure network at home.
QR codes
Even though QR (quick response) codes are almost everywhere, they can be extremely dangerous.
Carolyn added: “Don’t scan QR codes at the airport because someone might have tampered with them.”
Crooks will swap out QR codes with their own printed versions.
And from there, they’ll execute a “phishing” style attack, where you see an official-looking website that is actually a scam page.
This can be used to steal your money, or enough private info to sell on or defraud you.
Instead of scanning a QR code without thinking, Carolyn recommends checking with staff in the airport or ordering food the old-fashioned way.
RFID Wallets
Carolyn added: “Make sure to use RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) wallets when you’re travelling.”
RFID wallets are made of metal and can block electrical signals, meaning criminals can’t gain valuable information from your bank cards.
For example, Vaultskin’s Kensington passport holder uses RFID technology to block scammers from accessing your contactless cards.
It will store your bank cards, driving licence, cash and boarding cards, in addition to your passport.
Complete with secret slots, the wallet can house all your important travel documents, keeping items safe from would-be thieves.
The dangerous mistake guests make at hotels
CAROLYN previously told Sun Online Travel why guests should stop hotel receptionists from reading their room number out loud.
After a room number has been said out loud, hotel staff at the reception desk will often give guests directions to their room.
While this may seem helpful, it can actually be quite dangerous because other guests will know exactly where you are staying.
Carolyn added: “I’ve known people with bad intentions to make room-to-room personal calls.
“If they know that you’re in your room by yourself, they may knock at the door and pretend to be a member of staff because they’ve overheard your room number in the reception area.”
Instead of having the room number read aloud, Carolyn recommended asking for the number to be written down.
You can read more about Carolyn’s hotel safety tips, here.
According to Carolyn, if a room number is read out, guests may be able to request a room change – particularly if they feel unsafe.
In a previous article in Sun Online Travel, Carolyn revealed the two popular safety hacks she’d never use.