News1 min ago
Beware This Hotel Scam
7 Answers
This is one of the best scams I have heard about.
You arrive at your hotel and check in at the front desk.Typically when checking in, you give the front desk your credit card (for any charges to your room) and they don't retain the card. You go to your room and settle in. All is good. The hotel receives a call and the caller asks for (as an example) room 620 - which happens to be your room ! The phone rings in your room. You answer and the person on the other end says the following: 'This is the front desk. When checking in, we came across a problem with your charge card information. Please re-read me your credit card numbers and verify the last 3 digits numbers at the reverse side of your charge card.' Not thinking anything wrong, since the call seems to come from the front desk you oblige. But actually, it is a scam by someone calling from outside the hotel. They have asked for a random room number, then ask you for your credit card and address information. They sound so professional, that you think you are talking to the front desk. If you ever encounter this scenario on your travels, tell the caller that you will be down to the front desk to clear up any problems. Then, go to the front desk or call directly and ask if there was a problem. If there was none, inform the manager of the hotel that someone tried to scam you of your credit card information, acting like a front desk employee. Please, consider spreading the word by forwarding this. Who knows, you might just help someone avoid a nasty experience.
You arrive at your hotel and check in at the front desk.Typically when checking in, you give the front desk your credit card (for any charges to your room) and they don't retain the card. You go to your room and settle in. All is good. The hotel receives a call and the caller asks for (as an example) room 620 - which happens to be your room ! The phone rings in your room. You answer and the person on the other end says the following: 'This is the front desk. When checking in, we came across a problem with your charge card information. Please re-read me your credit card numbers and verify the last 3 digits numbers at the reverse side of your charge card.' Not thinking anything wrong, since the call seems to come from the front desk you oblige. But actually, it is a scam by someone calling from outside the hotel. They have asked for a random room number, then ask you for your credit card and address information. They sound so professional, that you think you are talking to the front desk. If you ever encounter this scenario on your travels, tell the caller that you will be down to the front desk to clear up any problems. Then, go to the front desk or call directly and ask if there was a problem. If there was none, inform the manager of the hotel that someone tried to scam you of your credit card information, acting like a front desk employee. Please, consider spreading the word by forwarding this. Who knows, you might just help someone avoid a nasty experience.
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the alarm bell for me would be when they asked me to reconfirm details as they scan the card, not take details down by hand or type them into a computer; but i agree, very sneaky. Many years ago my dear late Mum taught me something simple that can help to protect from such scams. If anyone ever asked her to confirm her details on the phone or at the door, and she hadn’t made the phone call or wasn’t expecting the visitor, she would always say “Tell me what you think it is and I will tell you if its right”. If someone called at the door claiming to be the gas man, the waterboard man or any other official rep, she would ask them for her name and account number. In truth, she would have no idea what her account number off the top of her head but they weren’t to know that!
Whenever I've had a call put through to my hotel room the receptionist or switchboard always speak to me first - outside call for you, Mr H. Shall I put it through?
And I would not be very happy if a hotel switchboard operator put through a call to a room number if the caller did not ask for me by name. I doubt a hotel would do that.
And I would not be very happy if a hotel switchboard operator put through a call to a room number if the caller did not ask for me by name. I doubt a hotel would do that.
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