The Grand Solmar Scam Prevention Team says that the most beneficial way for any traveler to avoid a scam artist is to do as much research as possible on all of the tricks out there. In particular, there is one scam that has been extremely successful for con artists to accomplish. Although it is easy to get tripped up by this scam, it is easy to avoid once knowing the specific details of it.
The scam begins by a late night phone call to the traveler at their hotel room. This is incredibly easy for any scammer to pull off, as it is simple to directly dial rooms in a hotel. The phone number is generally the first few numbers on the hotel’s main phone line, combined with the room number an individual is staying in.
The guest will likely be awoken by the ringing phone and may not be thinking clearly. The caller will then say that they are calling from the hotel and there was a problem processing the credit card that the traveler had provided. They may ask the caller to confirm the card number used to ensure that the problem is resolved. The traveler may well be groggy and will do as the caller asks. Later on, they will realize that their credit card number has been stolen and used by a scammer.
To avoid this, the Grand Solmar Timeshare Scam Avoidance Squad says that a person should stick to a simple rule. Never give out a bankcard number to somebody that calls you over the phone. Tell the caller that you will contact the front desk yourself to take care of the problem. If they insist that you simply don’t need to, hang up the phone. They’re going to quit and move on to the next victim.