Beware Of The Hotel/Motel Scam!

This hotel/motel scam is more likely to occur in foreign hotels/motels. However, it still can/may happen in some US hotel/motel, so it is best to BE AWARE than BE SORRY.

How Does The Hotel/Motel Scam (Usually) Work?

After you check-in at the hotel/motel front desk --- where you give your credit card to the front desk clerk --- and you go to your room and settle in. . . the scammer calls the front desk and randomly asks for "Room 620, please?" [just for example. . .and which happens to be your room].

NOTE: For security reasons, USA hotel/motel front desk staff and/or operators do NOT give any kind of guest information, [e.g., the guest's name and/or the guest's room number], to anyone over the phone. It is only when a caller [inside or outside the hotel/motel] asks for a specific guest by name, that the USA hotel/motel operator will put the call through to the guest's room without giving the caller the guest's name and/or room number!

Then. . . [let us assume] your hotel room phone rings. You answer and the person on the other end [may] say the following, "This is the front desk. After you checked in, we came across some problem with your credit card. Would you please be so kind to re-read to me your credit card number and verify the 3-digit security numbers on the reverse side of your charge card?"

Since the caller says that he/she "is from the front desk", it is possible that you may not suspect that the caller is actually a scammer, and you give the person the information. By then, it is too late. . .you have been scammed!

Believe it or not, the above scenario actually happened to someone's friend while on vacation!
How do you avoid becoming a victim of the hotel/motel scam or any other scam via the telephone [or your computer]?

Again. . .NEVER give any personal and/or credit card information to anyone over the phone or your computer!

The only time you should give any personal and/or credit information over the phone or computer is if/when you yourself initiated the call or action to pay for some merchandise or service that you personally ordered or purchased. –Source Unknown