Ransomware attacks surge during summer travel season

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Ransomware attackers are targeting consumers at a higher rate this month, taking advantage of increased spending during back-to-school shopping and summer travel season.

Chris Nyhuis, CEO of Vigilant, said the surge is tied to consumer behavior, specifically, that people are less likely to scrutinize their credit card statements during high-spending periods.

“And they’re not looking at their credit card statements as precisely as they would during, say, January to June. There’s a lull. There’s not as many holidays. There’s not as much travel, and things aren’t gonna pop up as an anomaly,” Nyhuis said.

Nyhuis said travelers who notify their credit card companies of upcoming trips can still become identity theft victims by sharing their travel plans on social media in real time.

“They’ll post, ‘I’m traveling to Cancun, I’m traveling to Europe, I’m traveling here.’ So once you start traveling and now you have these identities stolen, they watch that. And when you travel to Europe, now they make a purchase in Europe. And you’ve already told your credit card company that you’re traveling to Europe, and ‘everything’s going to be fine.’ So they time this with your movements and what you do,” Nyhuis said.

Nyhuis recommends freezing your credit now by contacting the three major credit bureaus, Experian, TransUnion and Equifax, which he said can protect consumers from approximately 90% of the cost and trouble associated with identity theft.

Experts also suggest obtaining at least $1 million in identity theft protection through an auto insurance provider.

Nyhuis says that’s about the cost to recover from identity theft.

Nyhuis also advises consumers to post about trips only after returning home, rather than sharing travel plans or real-time updates while away.