Consumer Protection-Hotel Scam: Fake Front Desk Charge

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: Fake Front Desk Charge

Many high quality hotels are trained to make a phone call to travelers rooms 15 minutes after checking in, just to make sure that their accommodations are perfect. But smart hotel scam artists know that a traveler with their guard down can be taken advantage of easily through the simple "courtesy call."

Although it's becoming less common, the front desk call scam can still be a problem - especially in developing parts in the world. It starts when a traveler gets a phone call in their room from someone claiming to be at the hotel's front desk. Often times, they will claim that the credit card hold was declined, and they need to re-verify their payment method. As a convenience, they can take credit card information over the phone, so as not to bother the traveler.

A real hotel staff member will never ask for credit card information over the phone. Those who receive a phone call about a credit card problem should never give the calling party any information, as this is a sign of the front desk hotel scam. Instead, always offer to come down to the front desk to sort it out.

If the caller insists that it must be taken care of immediately, then simply hang up, and contact the hotel front desk to report the incident.

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

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

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- ATM Skimmers & Skimming Devices

Do you use your credit/debit card at public machines like ATMs or Gas Stations? There is a nation-wide scam taking place that targets everyday people innocently using their cards.  Scammers have gotten tricky with how they can grab important information from you while you use these machines.  A skimmer (a plastic device that sits over a card scanner or card reader) can be used to mimic a card reader and grab your personal card info.  Small cameras strategically aimed at an ATM keypad can record your pin as you enter it, allowing the scammer to duplicate your pin and bank account info to make fraudulent withdrawals. 

The below tips can help you avoid getting taken advantage of:

• Always cover the keypad with your free hand while entering your PIN.
• Briefly feel under an ATM machine for a small box.  Sometimes skimmers have corresponding transponders placed under the ATM.
• Make sure the card insert slot or card scanner is completely attached to the machine- do the twist and pull test!
• Check bank accounts & credit cards every couple of days to monitor activity.
•  Only frequent ATM’s you are familiar with and feel comfortable using.

Protect yourself-Learn more by watching this short video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX9Z0nOaoPs