Search Travel Market Report

mainlogo
www.travelmarketreport.com
  • News
  • Tours & Packages
  • Cruise
  • Hotels & Resorts
  • Destinations
  • Retail Strategies
  • Niche & Luxury
  • Well-Being Travel
  • Training & Events
  • Who We Are
    • Anne Marie Moebes
    • Brian Israel
    • Dan McCarthy
    • Denise Caiazzo
    • Marilee Crocker
    • Paul M. Ruden
    • Dori Saltzman
    • Kelly Fontenelle
rccl

Here’s What Travel Agents Can Do to Protect From Fraudsters

by Richard D'Ambrosio / September 11, 2017
Here’s What Travel Agents Can Do to Protect From Fraudsters


The ease that fraudsters can hack into a travel agent’s business was on full display at a general session at the ASTA General Convention in San Diego last month.

In a discussion led by ASTA’s Mark Meader, Teddy Lindsey, CTO of cyber security firm Ntrepid, asked attendees how many of them had logged on to the “ASTAFreeWifi” connection on their phones or laptops.

Hands went up across the hundreds of attendees.

Lindsey then began to read off the names of smartphones he could see on his phone, as he had set the router up to benignly ensnare attendees in order to make his point.

“What could have been happening, is that your phone was going out to check email, and that traffic was being redirected to one of their servers,” Lindsey said. Anything in those emails, including business critical and confidential information, credit card numbers, or ID information like passport details, would then be in the hands of people with malintent.

“It should be concerning for the traveler and for you, the travel advisor,” he said.

Dani Charles, CEO and co-founder of Charles Bernard Ventures, New York, cautioned travel agents to be wary of other public computer access, like hotel business center desktop computers open to guests.

“I’m not suggesting that the Sheraton’s computers aren’t safe,” he said, but when you walk into a hotel’s business center to check your e-mail or log in to an airline account to check your flight, “you’re trusting that someone hasn’t put something malicious on that computer, and is now accessing your activity,” he said.

Tools for protection
Charles noted how sometimes those agents aren’t individuals or groups of hackers acting on their own. He pointed out the revelation that a recent ransomware outbreak was directed by the North Korea.

“Risks are extensive, in terms of what you and your travelers face,” Charles said, but he and Lindsey pointed out that there are numerous tools that agents can use to protect themselves, and should encourage their clients to use as well.

One key tool is a Virtual Private Network (VPN), which encrypts any activity from the user’s computer throughout the internet.

The panelists also recommended that instead of emailing photos of passports, drivers licenses or other important forms of ID, that agents and their clients use cloud storage tools like Dropbox, or Microsoft’s OneDrive.

If convenience is important, Lindsey said, agents can email documents in a password-protected zipfile.

Charles and Lindsey also recommended using cloud storage tools like Carbonite, and more secure communications tools, like iMessage from Apple, WhatsApp and Viber.

Finally, both Charles and Lindsey asked agents to use some basic common sense.

“Don’t put anything in an email that you wouldn’t put in a letter in the mail, and risk someone opening that letter and reading it,” Charles said.

  0
  0
rccl
Related Articles
American Airlines Introduces Passport Scanning Feature for Mobile App
Holiday Fraud Season Picks Up, and Travel Advisors Need to be Wary
Three Online Booking Horror Stories That Show Why You Should Always Use a Travel Agent
FAA Bans Outdated MacBook Models From Aircrafts
United Partners with CLEAR to Make Air Travel Easier for Customers
How Facial Recognition Technology is Being Used at Airports
Tampa Becomes Third U.S. Airport to Allow Non-Passengers Through Security
Theft of Alaska Airplane by Employee Exposes Gaps in Airport Security
Five Tips for Navigating Busy Airports This Summer
How Travel Agents Can Avoid Becoming a Victim of Fraud

MOST VIEWED

Brought To You By
  1. Princess Cruises Forced to Adjust Alaska Sailings After White Pass Rail Road Decision
  2. River Cruise Lines Prepare to Deal with Low Water Levels on the Rhine
  3. Updated Cruise Line COVID-19 Vaccination, Booster, & Testing Requirements
  4. Thailand Officially Drops Thailand Pass, Insurance Requirements for Travel
  5. Lufthansa Group of Airlines Will Change its Distribution Cost Charge Starting in September
  6. SAS Pilot Strike Intensifies, Another 250 Flights Canceled on Monday

MOST EMAILED

Brought To You By
  1. Updated Cruise Line COVID-19 Vaccination, Booster, & Testing Requirements
  2. River Cruise Lines Prepare to Deal with Low Water Levels on the Rhine
  3. Canada Will Restart Random COVID-19 Testing at Airports Next Week
  4. Southwest Airlines’ Flight Credits Will No Longer Expire
  5. U.S. Passport Wait Time Is Now 8 to 11 Weeks for ‘Routine Service’
  6. Viking Cruises' New Octantis Is So Much More than Just a Cruise Ship
rccl
TMR Subscription

Subscribe today to receive daily in-depth coverage, analysis of industry news, trends and issues that affect how you do business. Subscribe now for free.

Subscribe to TMR

TMR Recommendations
Daniel Zim
Zim Travel Law, PLLC. Demystifying Complexity with Down to Earth Advice. Attorney Advertising.
hbar
Rodney Gould
Rodney E. Gould concentrates in travel and tour-operator litigation and regularly counsels travel-related entities worldwide.
hbar
Tom Carpenter
Carpenter Law Office - Representing clients in the travel and tourism industries. Attorney Advertising.
hbar
Top Stories
What’s Holding Some Suppliers Back from Advance Commission Payments?
What’s Holding Some Suppliers Back from Advance Commission Payments?

There are valid reasons holding many suppliers back from offering pre-travel commission payments. 

Read...
Why Some Suppliers Have Responded to Calls for Commission Timeline Changes
Why Some Suppliers Have Responded to Calls for Commission Timeline Changes

Why some suppliers made the decision to offer advance commission payments and how they're doing it. 

Read...
International Medical Group Adds Device Protection to Insurance Plans
International Medical Group Adds Device Protection to Insurance Plans

Advisors can help their clients protect their mobile devices while traveling with an add-on from IMG. 

Read...
Why Shoulder Season Is the Next Big Travel Trend
Why Shoulder Season Is the Next Big Travel Trend

Travelers have traditionally sought out the shoulder and off-peak seasons to snag the best deals. 

Read...
The Beacon: In a Critical Year, Legislative Day Exceeds Expectations
The Beacon: In a Critical Year, Legislative Day Exceeds Expectations

An inside look at Leg Day, the centerpiece of ASTA's advocacy work.

Read...
What Host Agency & Franchise Executives Would Change for Advisors If They Could
What Host Agency & Franchise Executives Would Change for Advisors If They Could

Long hold times, airport chaos and more would go the way of the Dodo if executives had a magic wand.

Read...
TMR OUTLOOKS & WHITE PAPERS
CP White Paper
Multi-Gen Outlook
Distribution Outlook (1)
New to Cruise Outlook
Expedition 2020
River Cruise Outlook 2019
View All
Advertiser's Voice
https://img.youtube.com/vi/tfv3DmvN5mY/0.jpg
Windstar Knows the Way to Tahiti
About Travel Market Report Mission Editorial Staff Advisory Board Advertise
TMR Resources Webinars Calendar of Events
Subscribe to TMR
Select Language
Do You Have an Idea Email
editor@travelmarketreport.com
Give Us a Call
1-(516) 730-3097
Drop Us a Note
Travel Market Report
71 Audrey Ave, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
News|Leisure Travel|Land Vacations|Cruise|Canada Retail Strategies|Well-Being|Luxury|Training
© 2005 - 2022 Travel Market Report, an American Marketing Group Inc. Company All Rights Reserved | 243 South Street, Oyster Bay, NY, 11771 USA | Telephone (516) 730-3097| Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy