15-08-2016, 02:31 PM
1
Travel advice
I have the following as a warning and have been asked to pass it on:Take careful note of this!
This is one of the smartest 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.
This was sent by someone who has been duped........
and is still cleaning up the mess.
P.S.
Please, consider spreading the word by forwarding this msg.
Who knows, you might just help someone avoid a nasty experience.
All traveling often should be aware of this one!'
15-08-2016, 05:42 PM
3
Re: Travel advice
This 'Scam' alert' goes back many years and is featured on Snopes...http://www.snopes.com/fraud/phishing/hotel.asp
an extra step by requiring both the guest's name and room number before putting through an outside call), so the actual prevalence of the scam described above may be rather low. Those looking to "phish" your credit card number and the 3-digit security code carried on its back by pretending to be working at the front desk probably aren't going to be able to smoothly run this con at hotel after hotel, because most places they telephone will likely refuse to put their calls through: their demands to be connected to "Room 620" will be stonewalled by those managing the property's switchboard unless and until they can also pony up the name that matches with the hotel's records of who is staying in that room.
However, the advice about not giving out one's credit card information to anyone who telephones to ask for it is always worth heedin
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