Travel review tips by the Avanti Group: 12 digital ferie-svindel og 5 Tips for beskyttelse

Cyber scrooges utnytte alle typer digitale enheter, sosiale medieplattformer og mobilprogrammer utnytte brukernes distraksjon under denne travle tiden av året. For å opplyse offentligheten og bedrifter på de mest populære måtene kriminelle svindel brukere i løpet av ferien når de surfer deres digitale enheter, kom McAfee opp med en liste over 12 ting å være oppmerksom på.

E-handel salg er forventet for å stige mellom 8 til 11% i år til mer enn $105 milliarder, 56% av smarttelefonen eiere skal bruke enheten mens shopping. Med fire av fem amerikanske husholdninger med Internett banktjenester transaksjoner online, og fleste av bedrifter som støtter BYOD, er å være årvåken om sikker brukeratferd viktigere enn noensinne.

"Som folk butikk, bank og dele mer mens du er på farten, de åpne seg opp trusler fra kriminelle som ønsker å stjele personlig informasjon," sa Gary Davis, sjef forbruker sikkerhet Evangelist hos McAfee. "Forstå hva å passe på og hvor å riktig sikre sine enheter gir brukerne tilleggsinformasjon å beskytte sine digitale liv."

Her er topp 12 svindel:

1. Du har fått Mail! Som ferie salg fortsette å migrere online, øker risikoen for shipping varsel og svindelforsøk. Om malware er en helårig risiko, siden mange mennesker gjør ferien shopping på nettet, brukere er mer tilbøyelige til å klikke en shipping-varsel eller phishing e-post fordi de tror det er legit.

2. Villedende reklame: Alle søker etter stjeler og avtaler i ferier. Være skeptisk når online shopping for årets mest ettertraktede produkter. Farlige koblinger, falske konkurranser på sosiale medier og falsk gavekort er bare noen av måtene svindlere prøver å stjele informasjon.

3. Chilling veldedighetsorganisasjoner: Tis sesongen for å gi. I feriene gir mange tilbake ved å donere til sin favoritt veldedighet. Vær på vakt mot falske veldedighetsorganisasjoner som kan komme via e-post, eller deles virally gjennom sosiale medier.

4. Kjøper Beware: Det er bare noen svindel som brukere har ingen kontroll over. Poenget med salg malware som fører til utsette kredittkortinformasjon faller i denne kategorien. Pass på å sjekke kontoutdrag nøye og bo på nyhetene for å være oppmerksom og forberedt.

5. iScams: nye mobile apps for Android og iOS enheter er lagt til hver dag. Pluss med fremskritt innen teknologi, mobilenhet kan Kontrollere temperaturen i hjem, holde brukere som er koblet til sosiale medier og legge til kule filtre til feriebilder, for eksempel. Selv de offisielle ser eller festlig apps, men kan være skadelig og tilgang til personlig informasjon.

6. Få kardet: Digital e-kort til å spre ferie hurrarop er morsom, enkel og viktigst, gjennomtenkt. Men noen "Julehilsener," er egentlig "Merry Malware!" fra hackere. Velkjente ekort nettsteder er trygge, men være skeptisk til potensielle svindel som kan spørre en nedlasting av malware på enheten.

7. Ferie reise svindel: Fake online reise avtale er overflod, men det er også risiko som finnes når ankommer for destination inkludert spyware tilgang nformation gjennom logge på infiserte PCer på stedet.

8. Bank Robocall svindel: Når ferie utgifter øker og brukere er klar over misbruk til bankkontoer og kredittkort, hackere bruke dette som en mulighet. I de fleste tilfeller forbrukere får falske ringer fra en av disse institusjonene fra en automatisert (eller ikke) "Sikkerhetsagenten" om at brukerkontoen har vært utsatt, og ber om personlige opplysninger inkludert passordet, gjøre endringer.

9. ATM Skimming: Kriminelle får informasjon i minibanker av installere skimming enheter å stjele data fra en kortet magnetstripen og enten bruker et videokamera eller tastaturet overlegg for å fange PIN. En enkel løsning: se nøye på ATM for noe mistenkelig og dekke tastaturet når du skriver inn PIN-koden.

10. År i gjennomgang feller: mange nyhetstjenester kapitalisere på ferier ved å utvikle "År i Review" artikler. Selskaper bør advare sine ansatte om risikoen ved å klikke på disse typer koblinger fra deres arbeid e-post fra ikke-klarerte kilder. Koblinger fra falske kilder kan infisere og akkord sikkerheten av selskapet enheter.

11. BYO...Enhet: Med en økning i reise aktivitet (boblende!) over opptatt ferien, folk er mer sannsynlig å glemme sine smarttelefoner på offentlige steder. Mens det er upraktisk for dem, er det også vei for hackere å få tilgang til sensitive personlige opplysninger og forretningsdata hvis riktige sikkerhetstiltak ikke er på plass.

12. Dårlig USB Blues: I løpet av ferien, kan det være en økning i Gavekurver fra leverandører som ønsker å fortsette å gjøre forretninger med der selskapet i det kommende året. En av de mest populære varene i disse kurvene omfatter merkede USBs. Vokt dere for tillater ansatte å bruke disse som undetectable malware er noen ganger forhåndsinstallert på dem.

Bli beskyttet

Forske: Om online shopping, donere til veldedige organisasjoner, eller sporing gaver, forske for å sikre at selskapet er lovlig. Gå til selskapets hjemmeside til sikre at det er en ekte business stedet for å klikke en kobling i en e-post for mye shopping, besøk nettstedet direkte

Analysere Apps: Før du laster ned en ny app, gå gjennom den for å sikre nøyaktig hva som skjer på enheten. Bare laste ned programmer fra en offisielle app store og ikke en tredje part. Hvis programmet ber om mange tillatelser, ikke Last ned. Det kan be om tilgang til informasjon på telefonen eller tavle som er privat, og er sikkert mer enn programmet må utføre. Bruke antivirusprogramvare.

Bank noye: Folk bruker mer penger i løpet av ferien enn de gjør hele året. Cyber kriminelle kan prøve og bruke dette faktum til lettere svindel forbrukere. Hvis en bank kaller informasjonsforespørsler, henge opp og komme tilbake gjennom offisielle hjem telefonnummer. Det er viktig å snakke til banken gjennom offisielle antallet å vite det er legitimt. Når uttak av penger, være oppmerksom på omgivelsene. Hvis alt ser galt, lar. Inspisere ATM for løse ledninger eller maskindeler som kan ha blitt forfalske med. Dette kan indikere hackere prøver å fikse maskinen for deres fordel.

Oppholdet informert: Høytiden eller ikke, cyber svindel og identitetstyveri skje veldig ofte gjennom hele året. Nå som shopping sesongen har begynt og faren er økt, er det viktig å hele tiden være klar over nye cyber-angrep eller trusler i markedet. Følg nyheter nyheter for nye sikkerhetsbrudd være våkne og være på toppen av spillet. Bare Kjøp ferie gaver til forhandlere som ikke har blitt kompromittert. Sjekk kontoutdrag ofte.

Utdanne dine ansatte: Kontroller at ansatte vet hvordan å beskytte seg og sine enheter som kan inneholde eller koble til sensitive Selskapsopplysninger-hele tiden, men spesielt i denne hektisk ferie reise og shopping sesongen når enheter er mer sannsynlig å bli feilplassert og folk la vakt. Sikre enheter er sikret med komplekse passord til smartphones, tabletter eller bærbare datamaskiner. Dele de vanligste svindel som finnes rundt høytiden med ansatte slik at de vet hva du være på utkikk etter og hvordan å holde seg beskyttet.

Travel Review Tips by the Avanti Group: A Financial Checklist for Traveling Abroad

Before heading overseas, travelers plan what to see and do, but they often forget about the financial planning involved with a trip until it’s too late.

Besides basic preparations, like making copies of your bank account and credit card information, there are a number of financial measures that can potentially save you from myriad problems while abroad.

If you don’t want to pay for your mistakes financially, or with precious time when you’d rather be sightseeing, make sure to go through this financial travel checklist before boarding the plane.

1. Notify your financial institutions.

The money in your bank account has no significance if your account is frozen. Even the slightest deviation from your normal spending pattern can raise a red flag for a fraud department, which may result in your account becoming frozen or your credit card denied.

Prevent this from happening by informing your bank and credit card companies about the location of your travels and the duration of your stay in the foreign country.

2. Set up online accounts.

An online bank account will give you added convenience and security over your funds while traveling overseas. With an online account, you can easily check your balances, transfer and deposit funds, and stay on top of recent transactions.

Setting up automatic payments can also help you pay bills on time and meet your financial duties while thousands of miles from home.

3. Have multiple forms of payment.

Although the ideal form of payment depends on your travel destination and spending habits, it’s a good idea to carry a variety of payment methods such as cash, debit cards and credit cards.

It’s also wise to have multiple bank accounts and credit cards – especially ones that are accepted internationally, such as Visa and MasterCard for credit cards, and Chase and HSBC for banks.

Even if you’re set on using one spending method for the majority of the trip, you should still carry the extra card with you. Also, it is crucial that you have the card you used to book the trip with you at all times, even if you don’t intend on using it for foreign transactions.

4. Check the exchange rates.

When traveling abroad, you should familiarize yourself with foreign currency and exchange rates to understand the value of a dollar. You can use an app, like Currency, to find out the latest exchange rates. Note that in addition to exchange rate conversion fees, you may encounter foreign exchange fees when converting money abroad.

5. Sign up for a travel rewards credit card with no foreign transaction fees.

To find the right travel rewards card for you, first analyze your spending habits and travel pattern. Signing up for the right travel rewards credit card will get you a wide range of benefits and perks while traveling – including no foreign transaction fees, which can be beneficial for travelers who use credit cards as their main form of payment overseas. You can also rack up rewards points and miles for travel rewards or cash back.

6. Get an ATM card from an online bank.

Signing up for a no-fee ATM card will give you the freedom to withdraw money without having to worry about racking up fees. Keep in mind that you don’t necessarily have to change banks to avoid ATM fees overseas, as many banks will waive them for certain checking account holders.

7. Cash is king.

For Americans, U.S. dollars can be the most cost-effective form of payment, as you automatically save on any fees you would have to pay at a financial institution. Most vendors will also give you a fair exchange rate on the conversion from dollars to their local currency.

Exchanging money at the airport may be convenient, but you’ll pay for it with fees and expensive exchange rates. A better idea would be to withdraw the foreign currency through your bank or at an ATM machine upon arrival.

And remember: No one turns down cash. Traveling with a couple hundred dollars worth of emergency cash is a smart decision in the event you can't access money. Just make sure to carry cash in small denominations, as it can be dangerous to flash large amounts of money in public.

Travel Review Tips by the Avanti Group on how to Not Eat Like a Tourist in New Orleans

Before I left for New Orleans I was telling friends and neighbors of my plans.

"Are you going to Eat at Mother's?"

"I bet you can't wait to taste some Jambalaya."

"There's a place on Bourbon where you can get a Hurricane and next door some Sweet Potato Fries just covered in powdered sugar, please have it for me."

No, No, a thousand times no.

New Orleans is guilty of feeding some garbage food to tourists and the tourists are guilty of loving it and going all over the internet screaming the authenticity of the overpriced Jambalaya they had on Bourbon Street. I once wrote about the bad food done in New Orleans name outside of New Orleans. The bad food has also infiltrated the Quarter.

Here are a few common sense tips to eating in New Orleans.

If the sign says 'voted the best" or "authentic" run away.

Most of the places guilty of food fraud are in the quarter, there is even a place in the French Market offering 'authentic Cajun Tacos.'

There are exceptions like Galatoires, Johnny's and Central Grocery however you should do most of your dining outside of the quarter.

My first night I was out on Loyola and decided to walk towards the quarter. I had no destination in mind. I stopped into the Old Roosevelt and got a glass of wine and a plate of broiled yosters with tarragon and garlic butter. It was served with the soft French Bread New Orleans is Famous for.

This hotel has several dining options, not all recommended, but the Fountain Lounge has wonderful food.

The next morning I had a light breakfast at 8 Block in the Hyatt on Loyala. The light fare has more than enough food and excellent smoked fish and fruit along with strong coffee gave me a great start.

I did not want to eat too much, as a friend was picking me up in a few hours to go to Elizabeth's out on Gallier. Chef Byron Peck presides now that Heidi Trull has moved on to Grits and Groceries in South Carolina. I am happy to say the food is still great.

I had Shrimp and Grits with a Tasso and Leek Gravy and my friend had Grillades and Grits, of course we traded tastes and both were excellent. I regret to say this place is now on the tourist map and there is always a wait. I am pleased to say the wait is worth it.

I do not recall what I ate later that day so I've no place to recommend nor to warn you against. The truly bad is always memorable. I suspect I had oysters as I had them each day of my trip. Oysters are always good, but the preparation is not always memorable.

Sunday morning I was up VERY early and took a walk through the quarter while they cleaned up. All of the streets are swept and washed daily, despite the plentiful garbage cans people can be pigs, and often are.

Nothing was open save the Clover Grill, despite the claims of 'best' I went in. How bad could breakfast be?

The waitress cheery, the coffee good and I sat waiting for my biscuits and gravy. What arrived was a sad, hard biscuit topped with a gravy flavored less with sausage, as is custom and tasting mostly of salt. I ate a bit of it, and it was memorable. Memorably bad. I suspect they rely on the customers being drunk at their location and 24 hour status attest to that. Do not eat at Clover when sober.

Travel Review Tips by the Avanti Group on How to Take the Best Selfie Ever

Travel Tips: Best Selfie Ever

When we travel, we are creating precious memories. And what better way to hold on to these memories than with pictures?

But taking pictures of yourself isn't always the easiest thing to do. Have you ever been on the road and asked somebody to take a picture of you? But then... where are you?

Why aren't you in focus?

Why is your head cut off?!

This needs to end! And this is why the selfie exists. Take matters into your own hands with my tips on how to ensure that your selfies are always picture perfect.

Masione Smartphone Extendable Rod

This puppy:

... is your solution to all smartphone selfies. It is made to fit all smartphone sizes, from the iPhone to something smaller or larger. The key is that in order for the rod to work, the device needs to have a super flat surface.

Do you need more distance? Simply extend the rod.

Do you need more of an angle? Just rotate it however you like.

Voila.

Pro Tip: Download a self-timer camera app so you can take the pictures without having to click the screen. Just type in "self-timer camera" and you will get a bunch of free or paid options.

XShot Pocket Camera Extender

This camera extender:

... is designed especially for digital cameras. All you have to do is screw the camera onto the rod:

...and you're all set. It works exactly the same way as the smartphone camera extender, except this rod has a lot more length and it already comes with a self timer function!

Travel Review Tips by the Avanti Group: Ten things you need to know about travel insurance fraud

1. “A lot of people making fraudulent claims on their travel insurance are first time fraudsters, and don’t realise how serious it is to make a false claim,” says Simon Cook, Head of Special Investigations at claims management and assistance company, CEGA.

2. “Making a false travel insurance claim can result in a criminal record, which would make it very difficult, for instance, to take out any sort of insurance policy in the future - and that includes car and household insurance,” says Simon Cook. “In a worst case scenario, it could lead to a prison sentence.”

3. Top of the list of fraudulent travel insurance claims? “It’s common for someone who has suffered a genuine loss to add a few noughts to the value of that loss - a Sekonda watch might become a Rolex for instance,” says Malcolm Tarling of the Association of British Insurers. “Exaggerated losses, false claims for lost baggage and fictitious medical treatment are among the most common fraudulent claims,” adds Simon Cook.

4. “If a false travel insurance claim is submitted but withdrawn after having second thoughts, it can still lead to a prosecution for fraud,” says Simon Cook.

5. “Insurers will check every detail of a dubious claim; from the authenticity of a doctor’s bill handed out on the other side of the world, to the validity of a witness statement in a foreign language,” says Simon Cook. “Cognitive interviewing techniques, investigation by overseas agents and medical assessments may all be used to assess the honesty of a suspicious claim.”

6. “Fraudulent travel insurance claims put up the cost of everyone’s insurance premiums,” says Simon Cook. “In other words, innocent travellers foot the bill for fraudulent claims.”

7. “An item lost on holiday may be covered by both a household and travel insurance policy - but the full value of the loss cannot be claimed for twice, otherwise it is considered to be committing fraud,” says Simon Cook. “However, it is possible to claim some of the cost of the loss from one policy and some from the other, if full cover is not given by one policy. It is always best for individuals to be honest with their insurers about other relevant policies and to ask for advice if it is needed.”

8. “Some people may be tempted to make a false claim for a laptop or priceless family heirloom “lost” in luggage that has been checked in at the airport, but they shouldn’t bother,” says Simon Cook. “Valuables on planes are not covered by travel insurance unless they are carried as hand luggage.”

9. "The vast majority of customers are honest,” says Aidan Kerr, the Association of British Insurers’ Assistant Director, Head of Fraud. “The more that is done to crackdown on the dishonest, the quicker and more effectively insurers can deal with the claims from the honest majority.”

10. “To help a genuine claim go smoothly, it is vital to tell the insurance company about an emergency situation as soon as it happens and follow their advice on what to do next,” concludes Simon Cook.

With over 40 years’ experience, Sussex-based CEGA Group is one of the leading independent claims and global assistance providers for the insurance market. Travel risk management, claims handling, medical assistance, special investigations, cost containment and air ambulance services are all managed from one location, which means that CEGA is able to provide a fully integrated, cost effective, end-to-end service. The group is the UK’s only travel assistance provider to operate its own air ambulance fleet.

Travel Review Tips by the Avanti Group on How Unethical Behavior Becomes Habit

When a former client’s secretary was arrested for embezzlement years before his own crimes were uncovered, Bernie Madoff commented to his own secretary, “Well, you know what happens is, it starts out with you taking a little bit, maybe a few hundred, a few thousand. You get comfortable with that, and before you know it, it snowballs into something big.”

We now know that Madoff’s Ponzi scheme started when he engaged in misreporting to cover relatively small financial losses. Over a 15-year period, the scam grew steadily, eventually ballooning to $65 billion, even as regulators and investors failed to notice the warning signs.

Many of the biggest business scandals of recent years — including the News of the World phone hacking scandal, billions in rogue trading losses at UBS, and the collapse of Enron — have followed a similar pattern: The ethical behavior of those involved eroded over time.

Few of us will ever descend as deeply into crime as Bernard Madoff, yet we all are vulnerable to the same slippery slope. We are likely to begin with small indiscretions such as taking home office supplies, exaggerating mileage statements, or miscategorizing a personal meal in a restaurant as business-related. Nearly three-quarter of the employees who responded to one survey reported that they had observed unethical or illegal behavior by coworkers in the past year.

“The safest road to Hell is the gradual one — the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts,” wrote C. S. Lewis. Our research backs up both Lewis’s intuition and the anecdotal evidence: People often start their misconduct with small transgressions and then slide down a slippery slope.

Two of us (Dave, Lisa, and our team) found that people who are faced with growing opportunities to behave unethically are much more likely to rationalize this conduct than those who are presented with an abrupt change. We predicted that if we could get people to cheat a little in one round, they might be willing to cheat a bit more in another round, and finally cheat “big” in a third round.

This is precisely what we found: When given a series of problem-solving tasks, 50% of our subjects cheated to earn $.25 per problem in the first round, and 60% cheated to earn $2.50 per problem in the final round. However, the people in the abrupt change group who could not cheat during the first two rounds were much less willing to cheat big for $2.50 per problem during the final round (only about 30% did).

This suggests that employees might look at their slightly exaggerated mileage statements as “rounding up.” But rationalizing minor indiscretions inevitably influences how they view progressively worse behaviors and may lead them to commit bigger offenses (e.g., billing their employers for personal travel expenses) that they initially would not have considered.

To make matters worse, people are more likely to overlook the unethical behavior of others when it deteriorates gradually over time. For example, one of us (Francesca) found, with colleague Max Bazerman, that people who played the role of auditors in a simulated auditing task were much less likely to report those who gradually inflated their numbers over time than those who made more abrupt changes all at once, even though the level of inflation was eventually the same.

Unfortunately, the assumption that unethical workplace behavior is the product of a few bad apples has blinded many organizations to the fact that we all can be negatively influenced by situational forces, even when we care a great deal about honesty. Yet approaches to warding off the slippery-slope problem need not to be drastic. In their book Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness, Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein illustrate how a small and unobtrusive nudge in the right direction can lead people to eat better, save more for retirement, and conserve energy.

Our research similarly indicates that ethical nudges can help people avoid the types of indiscretions that might start them down the slippery slope. For example, in a study conducted with a major U.S. insurance company, Francesca and colleagues found that customers who signed the statement “I promise that the information I am providing is true” prior to reporting their annual mileage — that is, at the top of the page — were significantly more honest in their reporting compared to those who reported first and signed at the bottom of the page.

Travel Review Tips by the Avanti Group: The New Hotel Wi-Fi Scam You Haven't Heard of Yet

You choose a hotel because it advertises free Wi-Fi. But when you log on, you find the connection is agonizingly slow.

"Aha," says the hotel. "You want high-speed, we'll give you high-speed—for just $15 a day more."

That's the newest hotel-fee scam. I've heard more and more reports of hotels offering free, yet painfully slow Wi-Fi, then charging guests to upgrade to a more practical Wi-Fi speed. So far, I haven't seen any published statistics on the number of hotels that are doing it, which hotels do it, and how much they charge.

For now, all we can recommend is that you ask a hotel, in advance, if the "free" Wi-Fi is high-speed or if you have to pay a premium for a high-bandwidth connection. Slow, complimentary Wi-Fi may be fast enough for email and other low-bandwidth applications, but it's likely to be a total bust for video streaming and gaming. When you encounter two-tier Wi-Fi, be sure you note that fact when you submit a review to TripAdvisor (our parent company) or your booking engine.

Here's another approach that might help: Check out Hotel WiFi Test. The site analyzes and displays Wi-Fi speeds at hotels in destinations around the world. This week, Hotel WiFi Test announced that its speed-test results for individual hotels will be displayed directly on major booking sites; this sounds like a good idea, but, as of today, I couldn't find those speed scores on any booking sites. Either I'm losing my online touch or the postings haven't started yet.