Go fish

[bhskittykatt]

*phone rings*
Me: *spiel*
SC: "yeah, this is so-and-so from Corporate. How are you doing tonight?"
Me: "Fine."
SC: "Great. Listen, we're having some computer issues, so the audit isn't going to go through tonight, so I'm going to need you room numbers and guest list and..."
Me: "Yeah, try again." *click* *turns off phone's auto attend*

Really, that's an old one. You expect us to fall for that?

[barainga]

nicely titled

[Pixilated]

I've never worked in a hotel/motel, so I'm unfamiliar with this -- was this a phone version of a phishing scam? And what's their goal -- was their next question going to be about credit card numbers?

[Seshat]

Yes, and quite possibly. Or some other personal information.

[Teefies2]

Or maybe they were looking for their spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend to catch them in infidelity? Or they were a private detective? Or they were looking to see which rooms were occupied and therefore able to be robbed?

I know, I have an evil mind :-D

[bhskittykatt]

The scam usually goes like this, though there are variations.

1) Call the front desk. Pretend to be from Corporate. Get names and room numbers.

2) Call the guest in the room. Use their name you just acquired. Pretend to be from the hotel (either the front desk or corporate). Tell them there was a glitch and their transaction wasn't processed appropriately. Try and have them give their CC info to fix the transaction.

That's why I also turned the auto attend off. Normally, you call in, the automated system picks it up and lets you dial guests directly by punching in their room number. I turned it off so all calls have to go through me, so the scammer can't try to call the guests either.

[Mr Hero]

I have never heard this scam before, and who knows if I would have fallen for it had I not read this topic? Thanks for the post.

[Canarr]

That's good to know. Thanks.

[bhskittykatt]

I have never heard this scam before, and who knows if I would have fallen for it had I not read this topic? Thanks for the post.

Really? We've gotten internal memos on it, and this isn't the first time they've tried to pull it on us. You're lucky if you haven't had it.

It was fairly easy to spot this one. The guy did not have that "corporate" sound. He said he was from "[Parent Company] Corporate". No one from Corporate would ever introduce themselves that way. First off, they'd give us a department to go along with that, and secondly, "[Parent Company] Corporate" is just wrong for our company.

I did have a guy once pretending to be from AmEx. He sounded professional, with a (likely BS) dept name and everything. Except that, (1) he was saying the transaction didn't go through...how would AmEx know about it if it didn't make it there? And (2) he said it was the last AmEx transaction that he needed the information for. After I refused a couple times and he kept pushing me, I finally burst his bubble with the fact that the motel hadn't done any AmEx transactions in the last 24 hours and his story was full of BS. He hung up on me after that.

[Teskeria]

Would know about it only if it actually made it though and was referred (meaning CM needs to call to verify ID basically.) or declined. If it didn't actually hit the AE system, then it doesn't show up at all. And the only time AE calls a hotel is if a CM is having something sent there, and the only thing asked usually is if the hotel shows a reservation. don't care about anything else, just want to be sure they really are staying there when they claim they are (in case it really isn't the CM trying to get the item sent).

[ralerin]

Similar story.

Coworker A answered a call from "corporate" saying that our "bluedot" card count had gone in wrong, and would she kindy tell them the price and how many was left? Ok, good, now select one off the shelf and put it in for $500. Your register will pop open, don't panic. Good, thank you for doing that! Now scratch off the number on the back of the card and read it to us.

"Um, that's fishy, l'm transferring you to SM."

Sm picks up. "Hello, who is this?"

"Tim."

"And Tim from what corporate department?"

"*CLICK*"

Sm was upset he had to return the card and sent up an interstore email to everyone in the tri state area to watch out for this guy.

[Alpha Strike]

Similar story.

Coworker A answered a call from "corporate" saying that our "bluedot" card count had gone in wrong, and would she kindy tell them the price and how many was left? Ok, good, now select one off the shelf and put it in for $500. Your register will pop open, don't panic. Good, thank you for doing that! Now scratch off the number on the back of the card and read it to us.

...

Bluedot = Giftcard? And I assume that if your CW had fallen for this, she would have been giving the number of an approved giftcard with $500 on it to the scammer?

[Victory Sabre]

I had someone call from "corporate" a couple of times. Of course the # that popped up on the caller id was from a State quite a ways away from the state corporate is in.

Both times I was busy dealing with customers, otherwise I would have messed with the scammers big time.

[An Haddock]

Is it possible to call the cops or the Federal B.I. on these guys? Especially if they're out of state, seems to me that constitutes theft across state lines and such. Wouldn't the cops or whoever be able to trace the call? (assuming the caller isn't on a pre-paid cell, of course)

[EricKei]

I did have a guy once pretending to be from AmEx.

"Ooooh, yeaah, I'm sorry, we don't take AmEx anymore.... What? Now you're from visa? Nope. We don't take credit cards anymore at all, actually, nor checks. HAd some issues with them. Cash?!? HA! Hell no, too many countefeiters....Hm? Coconuts. Just coconuts. Have a nice day!"