Map of the USA.

Wade and Chaya are in Maine, USA. Read recent travelogue entries!

Site Navigation Travelogue Site Map - All of the post on this blog in one easy to browse location. Home - The homepage to this blog and Vagabond Journey.com Travel Photos - Thousands of photographs from around the world. Travel Questions and Answers - Ask a travel related question or browse the answers in this database. Travel Tips- This is a collection of Travel Tips that I have collected and would like to share with other travelers. Vagabond Field Notes- Traveler tracks left for other travelers. Information on the cheap places to stay and eat that I have found in my journeys. Travel Information Directory - Travel information separated by topic. Travelogue Navigation Travel Blog Directory Travelogue Home Travelogue Archives Travelogue Entries by Region East Asia Southeast Asia Indian Subcontinent North Africa Europe North America Central America Traveler Links Hobotraveler.com - Website of Andy the Hobo Traveler Ubertramp.com - Great travel community site Advertise on Vagabond Journey.com - Click on the above link for more information   Wade from www.VagabondJourney.com has been continuously traveling around the world for more than 9 years through over 45 countries on 5 continents. He is open to answer all questions -  email Vagabondsong@gmail.com. Walk Slow.

One of them went to withdraw money from her ATM card to find her account wiped out. They had no idea how this happened, but a call to the bank insured them that it had occurred while they were traveling in Central America.
--------------
Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
in Albion, New York, USA- January 3, 2009
Travelogue -- Travel Photos -- Travel Guide
--------------

The girl still had her ATM card in-tact, as it was the numbers off of it that were evidently copied and used. I listened to her talk circles around herself as she told a half dozen "it could've happened when we were at. . ." stories. This seemed funny to me. It seemed funny that someone would be able to just magically copy the numbers off of her card. This was probably not done manually, but electronically.

I did not want to exert my opinion of what happened, as it would make me feel like a prick, but it seemed like a decent possibility that the girl had used the card to purchase something from a public computer and had the numbers saved in the internet browser or they used a shady ATM. This type of thief happens.

It probably did to that girl. She had no more money and had to go home. 

Travel tip: do not use public computers for sensitive business. If you do, make sure you clear all the private data and browsing history! Make sure you also know where these options are in all popular web browsers because there is a good chance that you will not be able to read the language that they set in in other countries. In point, I am even weary to log into my email account on a public computer because I know that the security can be easily violated.

Travel tip: do not trust all ATMs. Try to use only ATMs that are connected to major banks during business hours.

Subsequent to hearing this story about how this girl mysteriously lost her money I found out about another way her credit card information could have been lifted. There are keystroke tracking programs which record passwords or other sensitive information that can be installed on computers without anyone knowing. Read this page:

http://www.spectorsoft.com/keylogger.asp?refer=27073

If one of these programs were installed on a computer, someone could easily access any data source that you open.

Travel tip: be aware that public computers may be able to record the information that you put into them.

As always, take this tip and use it, or write it off as rubbish and never think of it again.

Walk Slow,

Wade 

Comment on this travelogue entry

Related Pages:
Immigration Customs Travel Tip - How to use dirty underwear
Do Not Touch the Electric Shower
Travel Tip #8- Travel Guidebooks, To use or not to use?

Links to previous travelogue entries:
Blog Content Management Systems No Good
New York City Notebook
Blog Comments and RSS feeds
Customs Travel Tip- Dirty Underwear
Vagabond New Year's Resolution