It is as important as ever to keep your personal information secure this summer. As you spend money on vacations and summer activities, your risk of falling prey to fraudulent activity may increase.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, there are common travel-based scams that you can look out for this summer.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

You may see things like "free vacations" offered- and all you have to do is provide some personal information or pay some "small fees." These are scams; you should never give your information to a source you can't verify.

You may receive fraudulent and scam messages about travel discounts from companies you don't know or haven't heard of. They may offer things like a "five-star vacation" or a "resort deal" but provide vague details. It's best to ignore these messages or calls unless they are from a company you know you provided your information to.

Looks like home… but is it real?

When traveling this summer, you may use a travel renting site to book a vacation home that allows you to cook and spread out more than a hotel. Just remember that scammers can make fraudulent listings or hijack legitimate listings to take your money and leave you without a place to stay.

Verify your choice by searching online for the rental location's address and the property owner's or rental company's name. If you find other ads for the same house with a different owner or rental company name, be careful—it could be a scam.

Never give personal or financial information to anyone who claims to be working with the owner or rental company outside of the platform you use to reserve without confirming who they are. Use whatever verified contact information you have to connect with the owner or company. Never pay with cash, wire transfers, cards, cryptocurrency, or outside of the reservation platform you are using. These requests are likely scams and lack the protection that using a credit card on a reputable reservation platform provides.

Enjoy your travels, but don't let your guard down.

One thing scammers may try to do is trick you into handing over mobile and online banking information to transfer money out of your account. It can be easier to fall for these tricks when you're traveling and out of your usual routines.

Fraudulent texts, calls, and emails can resemble legitimate communications from First Merchants Bank or other financial institutions. So, remember to pause and look for red flags in unexpected communications before you take action.

• They try to create a sense of urgency to trick you into responding immediately –banks won't pressure you to act like this.
• Messages include misleading information, are formatted oddly, or include misspellings.
• You are asked for private information like your username, password, card number, or security code. While a bank may need to ask questions to verify your identity, they won't ask for this kind of information.
• A text message asks you to respond directly with a verification code. These codes must be entered into a website or app directly when you're logging in. Do not share them with anyone.

We’ve put together a handy reference to help you know if a text is from First Merchants. We encourage you to save these numbers in your phone so you know they’re us. If you think you've been targeted by a scammer and have provided private information about your First Merchants accounts—like account numbers, PINs, usernames, passwords, or one-time security codes—contact us immediately at 1.800.205.3464.