If your summer calendar is starting to fill up with farmers markets, festivals, and weekend events, you’re not alone. This time of year in Central Oregon is packed with local produce, live music, and plenty of reasons to get out and enjoy the community. It’s one of the best parts of the season. It’s also the kind of setting where scammers hope you’re focused on fun instead of fraud.

Busy events can create the perfect distraction. While you’re comparing peaches, tapping your card for kettle corn, or checking the concert schedule, bad actors may be looking for opportunities to skim card data, steal a wallet, or lure you into unsafe digital payments. Even something as simple as making a purchase over public Wi-Fi can put your personal and financial information at risk. Consumer guidance from the Federal Trade Commission and the FBI has also warned about QR code scams, where criminals swap in fake codes or use look-alike payment pages to capture your information.

Here are a few easy ways to enjoy the event and keep your finances protected:

  • Use contactless or chip-enabled payments when you can, since they’re generally more secure than swiping a magnetic stripe.
  • Keep your wallet, phone, and cards zipped, close, and in sight—especially in crowded lines or packed seating areas.
  • Skip public Wi-Fi for banking, shopping, or app-based payments. If it can wait, save it for a secure connection later.
  • Turn on transaction alerts so you can spot unfamiliar charges quickly and take action sooner.

It’s also smart to slow down when a vendor asks you to pay in an unusual way. Be cautious with pop-up QR codes, unfamiliar payment apps, or requests that steer you away from the vendor’s normal checkout process. According to guidance from the FTC and FBI, scammers may use tampered QR codes or spoofed payment pages that look legitimate at first glance. When in doubt, ask questions, inspect the payment link carefully, or choose another payment method.

At Mid Oregon, we love seeing our communities show up for local makers, musicians, growers, and small businesses. A little extra awareness helps make sure your support lands exactly where you intend it to.

So go enjoy the music, the fresh produce, the handmade goods, and the community spirit. Just bring the same good judgment you’d use anywhere else: pause before you pay, protect your devices, and keep an eye on your accounts. Fraud prevention does not have to ruin the fun—it simply helps you enjoy it with more confidence.

For more tips on protecting your personal information, visit Mid Oregon’s Security and Fraud Page: https://ow.ly/hjHm50V9XE1 [ow.ly].