5 Surprising Hotel Scams Everyone Should Know About

The hospitality sector is a popular target for information thieves because of all the confidential information that is collected and stored including - payment card information and personally identifiable information (PII).

What hotel guests may not realize is that thieves are targeting them directly, too. 

Here are 5 surprising hotel scams to watch for and avoid.

1. Online Booking: Criminals are creating ‘mirror’ web pages for hotels that look like the real thing (with a resort name, fake phone numbers, and photos) – but aren’t. When unsuspecting guests book this way, their confidential booking information ends up with a third-party operator. Avoid this scam: Use a reputable third party, or book with the hotel directly. Always cheque the website’s URL (‘https://’ and a lock symbol in the search bar indicate the site is secure).  
2. Food Delivery Scam: Want to have food delivered to your hotel room? Scam artists are also creating realistic-looking food menus and sliding them under hotel room doors. Hotel guests who order from these menus have to pay with a credit card… but the food never arrives. Avoid this scam: Do an internet search to make sure the restaurant exists. Ask the hotel front desk about the restaurant.
3. Urgent After-Hours Call: A few years ago, guests at a Dallas, Texas inn were contacted by phone by the ‘front desk’ at 2:30 in the morning. They were told there was an unexpected glitch in the computer system and credit card numbers had to be re-confirmed – before a 3 a.m. audit. Avoid this scam: Never give out credit card or other confidential information over the phone, especially in an ‘urgent’ and unusual scenario. Contact the front desk to verify. 
4. Fake Courtesy Call: Hotel scam artists are also getting a jump on ‘courtesy calls’, which are often made to make sure everything’s in order for guests who have just checked in. Be especially wary when the ‘front desk’ caller says a credit card was declined and needs to be re-verified. Avoid this scam: It’s not likely hotel staff would ask for credit card information over the phone. Go to the front desk in person.
5. Hotspot Scam: Free Wi-Fi is common in public areas like hotel lobbies and rooms. But there's a wireless internet skimming scam that involves a hotspot called ‘free Wi-Fi’ or something similar. While the connection is free and there’s no password needed, data is routed through several points including a criminal’s computer. Avoid this scam: Find out from the front desk what the preferred network is for the hotel and how to access it. Make sure it’s a secure connection, and if possible, use a virtual private network (VPN).

Always protect confidential information and mobile devices when you are travelling. Ask the hotel about secure destruction of paper documents you no longer need.

Start Protecting Your Business

To learn more about how Shred-it can protect your documents and hard drives, please contact us to get a free quote and security risk assessment.