MADISON, WI (WHBL) — If you’re planning to make a trip south for Spring Break, state consumer protection officials remind you to stay safe and be aware of some common scams.
There are some great deals out there for heading somewhere warmer than Wisconsin, but state consumer protection administrator Frank Frazetta says you should make sure that you’re actually getting the trip package you’re paying for. “Just as a precaution, you may also want to give the airline or the hotel a call yourself just to verify that the confirmation is in fact still valid and they’ve got a room for you.” He says you should be working with reputable travel agents and don’t pay for super discounted fares simply because of the price.
While you’re heading out to your vacation, you also want to be careful about the amount of information you share. Avoid posting itineraries or travel notices on your social media, as that can signal to crooks back home that it’s a good time to break in while you’re gone. Frazetta says you should also limit what sort of things you do online once you’re at your getaway. “Especially if you’re going to be using public wifi, you’re obviously going to want to minimize the amount of information you share on social media or if you’re doing any kind of banking online while you’re down there.” He says using unprotected openwifi is a good way to hand your personal information over to thieves.
You also need to keep a close eye on your plastic while you’re away. Frazetta recommends using credit over debit while on vacation, because there are more protections in place. “Try to keep your credit card in sight. The may go back and have their own skimmer handy and it doesn’t take much more than one single swipe and then the information on the magnetic strip can be duplicated and then used.” You should also keep an eye on any ATMs you might be using while on vacation because they may have those credit card skimmers installed as well.
You can find more information online at datcp.wi.gov, or call the consumer protection hotline at 1-800-422-7128
