F2 Christopher Elliott
KLMNO
If an appeal for help sounds fishy, check the grammar THE NAVIGATOR
stolen bag. Lost cash. A missing passport. It had all the hallmarks of a trip from hell. And the e-mail, which ostensibly came from a reader I had corresponded with back in 2008, seemed equally genuine. “I really don’t mean to inconvenience you right now,” he wrote. But he was stuck in London. Would I be willing to wire him $940 so he could get home?
A
Only it wasn’t real. As it turns out, the “Lost
Luggage in London” scam is a derivative of a so-called “phishing” fraud first identified on the social networking site Facebook last year. Phishing is the act of sending a message that claims to be from a friend in an effort to obtain personal data or money. “When it comes to travelers,
cybercrime and scamming opportunities abound,” said E.J. Hilbert, a former FBI special agent who is now the president of Online Intelligence, a New York-based company that specializes in stopping Internet fraud. “One scam will easily lead to several others, simply because the traveler is traveling, thus giving the fraudster time to work, knowing that many travelers will not notice the cybercrime has taken place until they get back from their trip.” You don’t even have to travel
to get taken. The “lost luggage” con, for example, preys on people who know others who travel often. I was in my office when I received the fraudulent appeal.
Online crimes are a growing LUCI GUTIÉRREZ FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
the Omaha-based information security company Solutionary. “In many ways,” he said, “we’re at a bigger risk when traveling.” Apparently, so are the people we know. Michael Sands, a media consultant in Los Angeles, received an urgent e-mail from an acquaintance’s address, claiming that she needed $2,500 after leaving her wallet in a London taxi. (Sound familiar?) “I knew the e-mail was fake because the person who [allegedly] sent it to me would never ask me for $2,500 in an e-mail,” he said. Sands forwarded the message to the ICCC Web site (
www.ic3.gov/default.aspx), which records scams and warns others about them. “I feel one
was in trouble, just as I thought that one of my readers had lost his luggage and needed a hand. Phishing scams are not the
only traps that await travelers. They’re also vulnerable to losing their passwords to keystroke-logging software, which records each character typed on a computer in a public place, such as a hotel business center or an Internet cafe, and transmits it to a cybercriminal. Travelers don’t even have to use an infected computer to lose their personal information. An unsecured wireless network at an airport or resort can allow hackers not only to sit back and collect personal data, passwords and e-mails, but also to implant malicious software on your
problem. Americans lost more than half a billion dollars from fraud perpetrated through the Internet last year, up from $264 million in 2008, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (ICCC). Travelers were hit particularly hard, according to Don Gray, the chief security strategist for
good deed deserves another,” he said. Security experts refer to the kind of e-mail Sands received as “spear phishing,” because it’s customized to a group of users or a single user, and it’s that precision that renders it so dangerous. For a moment, at least, he believed that his friend
“In many ways, we’re at a bigger risk when
traveling.” — Don Gray, chief security strategist for information security company Solutionary
computer, where it can cause trouble long after your trip is over, according to experts. How do you keep your data safe on the road? “View with suspicion any e-mail or other electronic message with requests for personal identification, financial information, user names or passwords,” said Keith Crosley, the director of market development for Proofpoint, a Sunnyvale, Calif., e-mail security firm. If you must provide that information, go to your bank or credit card company’s site directly — never follow a link embedded in an e-mail.
Also, stay away from SAIL INTO SAVINGS.
unsecured computers in public areas, and if you log on to a public wireless network, don’t conduct any secure transactions, such as checking your credit card or bank account balance, said Michael Haaren, an Internet fraud and safety expert with
Staffcentrix.com in Annandale. “And be sure to log off the network when you’re done,” he added. You can take all these precautions but still be in danger, cautions Jeremy Miller, director of operations for Kroll Fraud Solutions in Nashville. “Watch for shoulder surfers who may be looking to collect sensitive data,” he said. And what about the spear phishers? Since many of these crimes are committed by people who don’t speak English as a first language, bad grammar is the biggest clue. If you notice any awkward language or phrasing, it should set off alarms. Simply verifying that the person it appears you have received the message from is out of the country — by phoning or e-mailing him or her at a secondary address or through a social networking site — is enough to get to the bottom of the scam. I concluded that I was being
targeted after running an Internet search for the first sentence of the e-mail, which showed that the same message had been sent to dozens, perhaps hundreds, of others. After that, the next step was easy. I hit “delete.”
Elliott is National Geographic Traveler magazine’s reader advocate. E-mail him at
celliott@ngs.org.
V1 V2 V3 V4
SUNDAY, JUNE 13, 2010 WHAT’S THE DEAL?
This week’s best travel bargains around the globe.
LAND
A five-night package at a five- star hotel in Sorrento, Italy,
is
now $95 per person double per day with a deal from Central Holi- days. The discounted package of $956 for two includes five nights at the Hotel Parco del Principi with free upgrade to a sea-view room; daily buffet breakfast; a dinner for two, including wine; one spa treatment; and taxes. Deal available for Sunday arrivals be- tween Oct. 10 and Dec. 31. Priced separately, the package would cost $1,614 per couple. Info: 800-935- 5000,
www.centralholidays.com. Buy a Eurail Select Pass Saver for two and a third person goes free. The deal from Rail Europe is valid for five days of travel within three bordering countries over a two-month period. Price, which will vary depending on currency exchange rates, is about $714 for three adults, a savings of $357. The pass can be applied to travel in Austria, Germany,
Switzerland,
France, Italy, Spain and many oth- er countries throughout Europe; selected countries must share a border or have a direct shipping line. No deadline to book, but pass must be used within six months of purchase. Book at www.raileu-
rope.com. The 320 Guest Ranch in Big Sky, Mont., is offering a Keeping It Cowboy package this summer, with savings of 33 percent. The four-night package, available for Sunday and Monday arrivals through Sept. 13, covers four nights of lodging, a Monday night pig roast, daily breakfast buffet, taxes and choice of two ranch ac- tivities, including horseback rid- ing, fly-fishing lesson or Wednes- day night hayride and barbecue. Price is $780 per couple or $968 for a family of four. Info: 800-243- 0320,
www.320ranch.com.
SEA
International Expeditions is waiving the single supplement on select departures of its 2011 Amazon River and Galapagos Voy- age cruises. The eight-night Ama- zon River trip now starts at $3,498 per person single, a savings of $1,649, for four departures in March, June, August and Novem- ber. The trip includes one night of lodging in Lima, Peru; a seven- night cruise on the Amazon River aboard the 28-passenger La Ama- tista; daily naturalist-guided ex- cursions; transfers; and taxes. The nine-night Galapagos trip now starts at $4,998 per person single, a savings of $1,250, for three de- partures in January, May and Sep- tember. The trip includes two nights’ lodging in Guayaquil, Ecuador; week-long cruise to nine Galapagos Islands; daily natural- ist-led excursions; transfers; and
taxes. International and in-coun- try airfares are extra. Info: 800- 633-4734,
www.ietravel.com. MSC Cruises has discounted its balcony staterooms on select fall foliage cruises to Canada and New England. Six cruises, ranging from six to 10 nights, are included. For example, the six-night Maple Leaves & Mansions cruise from Quebec City to New York depart- ing Oct. 23 now starts at $899 per person double (plus $81 port charges) for a balcony stateroom, a savings of $100. Book by June 21. Details: 877-665-4655,
www.msc
cruisesusa.com. Picasso Tours & Cruises is waiv- ing the single supplement on se- lect cruises to the Greek Islands and Turkey. Discount applies to more than 20 sailings on five itin- eraries. Prices vary. For example, a three-night Aegean Legends cruise round-trip from Piraeus, Greece, with departures August- November, now starts at $320 per person (plus $70 port charges), single or double occupancy; single fare usually starts at $480. Book by June 30. Info: 800-995-7997,
www.picassotours.com.
AIR
Delta is offering sale fares from New York to cities through- out Europe. Round-trip fare to London, for example, starts at $919, including $124 in taxes, for travel departing by Aug. 31 and completed by Sept. 30. Cheapest fares are available for August de- partures. Buy by June 14; 14-day advance purchase is required. Blackout dates and required travel days vary by destination. Other airlines are matching in select markets. Buy at
www.delta.com, or pay $20 more by calling 800- 221-1212.
PACKAGE
A seven-night Beijing Explora- tion & Hong Kong tour from Af-
fordableasia.com is now priced starting at $3,210 per couple on select September through Decem- ber departures. The tour includes round-trip airfare from New York to Beijing, with return from Hong Kong; airfare from Beijing to Hong Kong; five nights at the New Otani Chang Fu Gong hotel in Bei- jing; two nights at the Kowloon Hotel in Hong Kong; nine meals; airport transfers; guides; daily sightseeing; land transport; and taxes. Priced separately, hotel and air alone would start at $3,470 per couple. Info: 888-737-2742,
www.affordableasia.com. — Carol Sottili
Submit travel deals to
whatsthedeal@washpost.com. Please include your phone number and e-mail address. Prices were verified Thursday afternoon when the Travel section went to press, but deals sell out and availability is not guaranteed. Restrictions such as blackout dates and advance purchase may apply.
Your shot to win our photo contest
When it comes to fun, affordable getaways, look no further than theNorfolk waterfront.Norfolk offers hotels, dining, entertainment and attractions for every budget.
visitnorfolktoday.com | 1-800-368-3097
If you are looking for your next getaway, visit us online for more details or to book your reservation.
We’re now accepting submis- sions for our 11th annual photo con- test.
As always, we want gritty as well
as pretty. The topic of travel is broad, so have some fun with it: Ex- periment with lighting, angles, sub- jects and composition. Start shoot- ing . . . and surprise us. One entry per person. Photo must
have been taken in 2009-2010. Send e-mail entries to
travelphotos@washpost.com. Photos should be JPEG or TIFF attach- ments, between 1MB and 10MB in size. Include caption information and when the photo was taken, plus your name, address and phone number, and put the photo topic (e.g., “Scotland rainbow”) in the subject line. If sending by conventional mail, attach a sticker or notecard with your name, contact info and a de- tailed caption to the back of the photo (please do not send loose sheets of paper). Photos, which are nonreturnable, may be color or black-and-white, and in print form.
SUBHRAJIT BASU
Subhrajit Basu of Kolkata, India, took this photo of a local washerwoman, which won honorable mention in last year’s contest.
Send prints to The Washington Post Travel Section Photo Contest, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.
Entries must be received by July
26. Photos become the property of The Washington Post, which may edit, publish, distribute and repub- lish them in any form. No purchase
necessary. The winner, to be deter- mined by the Travel staff and pho- tography professionals, receives a digital camera. Post employees and their immediate families are not eli- gible. Please do not call to ask whether we have received your en- try. The winning photos will be pub- lished Aug. 22.
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