Someone on Reddit was flying home from a summer trip to Italy. Long layover, mobile data acting up, phone dying. They just wanted to check their flight, so they connected to the airport's free WiFi.

The sign up page asked for their name, email and phone number. They were tired, so they typed in the real stuff.

A week after they got home, the spam started. Emails, hotel offers, then texts. Some were advertising trips to Italy. To someone who had literally just gotten back.

To be fair, they can't prove it came from that WiFi. But the timing was suspicious.

Honestly? I agree.

Free WiFi isn't free

A lot of those sign up pages are built for marketing. You can't get online until you fill out the form, and that "accept" button can also be your yes to promotions.

Not every airport does this. In Philly, you sit through a 30 second ad and you're in. No name, no email, no phone number. Brussels and Munich say they don't share WiFi data with third parties.

So the red flag isn't free WiFi. It's free WiFi that wants to know who you are.

Even if they don't sell it, it can get stolen

In August, the company that runs Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands airports in the UK announced a data breach. About 8.7 million customers were affected. For most of them, the only thing taken was the email they used for the airport WiFi.

The airport group refused to pay the ransom, and the data was published anyway. Those people handed over an email to check a gate number. Now any scammer can have it.

Curious about your own email? Have I Been Pwned is a free site that tells you if it's shown up in a known breach.

My 3 step rule

Here's what I'm doing from now on.

Step 1: Don't need the WiFi.

Before you fly, add your boarding pass to your phone's wallet. Download your maps. Grab any shows or videos you want while you're still on WiFi you trust. Charge your phone, and have a data plan or eSIM ready.

Look at why the person in the story connected in the first place. Their data cut out and their phone was dying. Take those away and the sign up page never gets a chance.

Step 2: If you do connect, keep it vague.

First, make sure it's the real network. Scammers can set up a hotspot with a name that looks official, like "Free Airport WiFi." Check the airport's signs or website for the exact name.

Then, never give your full name. Make one up.

Skip the phone number too. If they require it, find another option. Use your data, or hop on a travel buddy's hotspot.

Here's why. Your phone number is the hardest thing to take back. You can make a new email in five minutes. A new phone number is a whole project. And it's tied to your bank, your airline apps, and everyone you know.

Step 3: If they want an email, use a spare one.

Keep a separate email just for WiFi pages and loyalty sign ups.

Why not just make up a fake one? Because a made up email can belong to a real person, and then they get your spam. Plus, some pages send a code to confirm. A spare account gets the code, and the junk stays out of your real inbox.

The takeaway

Free airport WiFi always costs something. And usually it's your info.

Thanksgiving is close, which means a lot of us are about to spend some quality time at the gate. Take five minutes before you leave home to download and charge.

That way, when the sign up page pops up, you can just close it.

Do you have a spare email for sign ups? What else do you use it for?

Keep Traveling,

Andrew