Going home for Thanksgiving might be a living hell. Can’t help you with that.
You might be forced to listen to the Adam Sandler Thanksgiving song—again. Can’t help you with that.
But if you want to have your holiday ruined by a bad case of identity theft, well, there is help for that.
Here are five really stupid things you can do during your holiday travels to make it easy for bad people to rip you off.
Tip #1: Use Unsecured Public Access Wi-Fi
There are few better ways to make sure that some creep will hack into your digital device. Hotel Wi-Fi networks are a prime target, as are popular tourist attractions.
Tip #2: Have Ridiculously Stupid Passwords Like “Password” That Are Easy to Guess
You would be shocked at how dumb people can be with the most basic of all security measures.
Tip #3: After Your Flight, Give Your Boarding Pass to a Stranger
There is a barcode on the boarding passes issued by some airlines which contains a lot of information worth stealing.
Tip #4: Never think before you click
Don’t worry about who sends you a link or where it came from. Click on it. Also, pop-up ads—click on them. The more you click, the more likely you’ll be to upload malicious software into your digital device. On the other hand, if you don’t want to catch a virus, learn how to tell if a link is suspicious before you click on it.
Tip #5: Never Safeguard Your Digital Devices
There are easy, responsible steps that you can take to prevent your devices from being stolen. Don’t follow them. Instead, drape your purse on the back of your chair in restaurant. Leave your cell phone on the table at the airport lounge.
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