Fraud protection while traveling

Prepare before you leave town

• Be cautious about fake hotel and vacation home rental advertisement scams. Scammers can create fake listings and require payment up front to secure reservations. The location then will not exist or not be a legit vacation home.
• Request the post office hold your mail while you’re traveling. This prevents mail from piling up, alerting people passing by that you are not home.
• Pack charging devices, like charging blocks or extra batteries. Plugging electronics into random USB ports can result in your device being hacked.
• Remove any unwanted and unneeded items from your wallet or purse before you leave town. Don’t carry your Social Security card or other cards you don’t need. In addition to lightening your load, it limits what could be taken if your wallet or purse is lost or stolen.
• Make copies of your ID, passport and insurance card. Bring one copy with you, along with the original, and store it separately from the original. Leave an additional copy at home with a friend or relative. If your original goes missing or is stolen, you will have a backup available. You can also explore secure online methods to store your copies.
• Alert your bank and credit card companies to your travel plans to help avoid declined transactions. For your protection, purchases outside of your usual area may be flagged as potential fraud.
• Know in advance how to freeze or cancel your debit card quickly in case it’s lost or stolen. In the Bank of Missouri app, scroll to the card management tile on your dashboard.

Stay safe while you're traveling

• Bring at least two payment methods and keep them in separate places. For example, if traveling with others, don’t have one person holding all the payment methods. And when you’re at your destination, you can leave a backup method in the hotel safe.
• Don’t access sensitive accounts, like your bank account, on unsecured networks, such as public Wi-Fi.
• Consider leaving some cards or valuable items in the hotel safe or other secure location, if you don’t need them with you when you’re out and about.
• Use your phone’s mobile wallet to pay for purchases when possible. When you tap to pay with your mobile wallet, you don’t have to get your card out. There’s an extra layer of security because your card number is not shared with the retailer.
• Be sure to plan your route in advance. It’s easier to be aware of threats when you aren’t lost, helping reduce the chance of theft.
• Avoid oversharing information on social media while you are traveling. It’s good practice to wait until you return home to post about your trip with photos and updates. This helps protect against intruders learning your home is unoccupied by monitoring your social media posts.

There you have it, a few precautions to help make sure fraud isn’t part of your trip. And know that our team is here to help with any questions about keeping your account and debit card safe. Chat with us or contact us online.