Consumer Protection- Hotel Scams- "Free" WiFi Connections

Traveling this Holiday Season or have loved ones who are?

Staying in a hotel? Be sure to stay safe by keeping yourself safe from some hotel scams....

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Hotel Scam: "Free" WiFi Connections

Nobody enjoys paying for wireless internet access at their hotels. This makes the "Free Wi-Fi" hotspot popup even more tempting for travelers who want access to the outside world.

However, wireless internet "skimming" is a new and growing hotel scam that targets travelers with the promise of free internet access. Common in public areas of the hotel, the scam works by setting up a "free" internet hotspot, often named "Free Wi-Fi" or something similar.

Though the internet connection will be free to access, the data can route through several points - including a scam artist's computer. Because the hotel scam artist is controlling the connection, they can collect all the data a traveler transmits.
This can include (but is not limited to) websites, usernames, and any passwords used during the session.

Before connecting to a network, make sure that the hotel network is a secure connection. Many secured offer a two-step verification process, and require travelers to hold a password or other form of identification. Other secure networks will usually have the name of the property or hotel chain in the network ID, and will advertise their wireless network on printed materials. Be sure to ask which is the preferred network at your hotel, and how to access it once on property.

https://www.tripsavvy.com/hotel-scams-to-avoid-3259975

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Hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday and safe over the new year!

Consumer Protection- Hotel Scams- Fake Food Delivery

Traveling this Holiday Season or have loved ones who are? Staying in a hotel? Be sure to stay safe by keeping yourself safe from some hotel scams.

Hotel Scam: Fake Food Delivery

It's not uncommon to find a number of menus in any given hotel room offering local dining options. When it seems like even waiters are out to target travelers, dining in can feel like a very tempting option. Although the menu and phone number look authentic, travelers could end up ordering from a restaurant that doesn't exist at all.

Here's how the hotel scam works: the scam artist creates and prints realistic food menu. Once created, the documents are slid underneath the doors of hotel rooms, inviting guests to place an order.

During the call, travelers are often asked to pay with their credit card. In the end, the food never comes, and the scam artists get away with the guest's credit card information.

Before deciding to order from a hotel room menu, make sure the restaurant actually exists. A simple internet search of restaurants in the area of the hotel will yield plenty of dining options.

Always ask the front desk for restaurant recommendations. 

https://www.tripsavvy.com/hotel-scams-to-avoid-3259975

More Hotel Scams to come to help keep you safe over this Holiday Season.

Consumer Protection-The Mail Courier Credit Card Scam

Wanted to re-share a scam I have shared before, given the holiday season and all the packages being delivered.

“The Mail Courier Credit Card Scam”

A courier company called up and asks if we would will be home since they have a package that they need a signature for. They indicated that they would be there in “about an hour”.

Sure enough, an hour later they showed with a flower basket and a bottle of wine. I was surprised as it wasn’t a holiday or special occasion, but was delighted with the surprise.

When asked “why” or “who it was from” they answered “I don’t know, I’m just the delivery person” and that “a card was on it’s way” (a card that never arrived). 

The courier went on to say that since there was an alcohol delivery, there was a $3.50 ‘delivery confirmation charge’ to ensure that the alcohol was delivered to an adult and not just left on a door step where anyone could take it, especially and underage child. 

Sounding logical, I offered cash, to which the courier refused and said that the delivery companies required payment to be a credit or debit card so that everything is properly accounted for and that they keep a legal record of the transaction, adding that couriers don’t carry cash to avoid loss or robbery. 

At that point, my husband had come over and handed “John”, the delivery man, his credit card. My husband swiped his card on the small mobile machine, entered his pin, a receipt was printed, and we were given a copy of the transaction.

To our horrible surprise, between Thursday and Monday of the following week, over $4,000 had been charged/withdrawn from our credit/debit accounts at various ATMs.

Apparently, the mobile machine the courier had copied all of our information and had all the information, including our PIN, to create a “dummy card” and allow him access to our accounts through a ATM.

Upon finding out, we immediately contacted our bank who closed our accounts, opened new accounts, and reissued us cards.

We also went to the police who confirmed this was a scam and that other households had been hit by the same exact scam. 

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I always tell my clients that it’s important to keep credit card and debit/account information confidential. You should never give out this information unless you initiate a purchase with a reputable company that you trust. 

While this scam involves a package and delivery, there are SO MANY SCAMS that involve bank account/credit card information falling into the wrong hands. Whenever you’re providing this information, especially via email, or online, check and then double check who the receiver is.

Consumer Protection- Utility Scams

Legal IQ Tips: Consumer Protection         

Over the past several months, I’ve had an increased number of clients coming to me because they were victimized by a scam.  Many of them involve emails or money wire transfers.  That said, there are all types of scams out there and my next few posts are going to focus on some new scams that I have been hearing about.  Anyone can fall victim, it doesn’t matter if you are young or old.  My hope is that sharing this information that was passed on to me will save you from falling victim.

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“Utility Scam”

Another concerning scam is the “utility bill scam” which has become far reaching and popular.

This scam comes in the way of a phone call.  The individual on the other end claims to be a representative from a utility company or the like.  Electric, gas, or water, the scammers don’t discriminate against what type of utility they use as their bait, they just focus in on a utility that you have in your home.

There are a few different scams that fall into this category, but the scammers end goal is the same; to get your personal information, your identity, to get untraceable money, or to obtain banking account information to steal money.

One form of the scam is an individual calling and stating that “the company” has an offer to help you cut your utility bill.  These scammers often say it’s for your electric bill.  The caller says that they just need your utility account information to verify your account before they can proceed and there you have it; your confidential and personal information are now in their hands.

In another version of the scam, the caller may tell you that you have an extremely overdue bill.  They start threatening to disconnect services immediately and request payment at that time.  The unsuspecting individual will have offered up money they will never get back and possibly provided personal account information to scammers who will make withdrawals, over the next few days, well in excess of the “unpaid bill”.

A final version of the scam is the caller indicating that there are federal assistance programs that you qualify for.  Again, they pretend to be the utility company and indicate that they “just need you to verify your account information”.  They obtain your personal and share information with the hackers who can use it to steal your identity and money.

While many people are now aware of the IRS phone call scams, the Utility scams are less commonly known but are becoming more and more prevalent.  Just as with the other scams I have mentioned, the caller is either “selling you something too good to be true” or “pushing an urgent matter”.

For more on the utility scams, check out these Forbes and CBS articles.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnwasik/2017/03/19/scam-alert-how-to-avoid-utility-fraud/#790220894459

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dont-get-financially-shocked-by-a-utility-scam/

As always, it’s better to be safe than sorry.  Never provide information to someone who is calling you unsolicited, and if you ever get an unsolicited call from a utility company, just hang up! You can call back their main line, and ask about the programs they are offering or if you have a late bill.

If you believe a loved one has been contacted by a scammer, contact the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office: (401) 274-4400 or consumers@riag.ri.gov

I’m going to take a break from posting on scams until I head back out to the South Kingstown Senior Center in Mid-October.

For now, stay safe and don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions on these scams, or any other scams.