No matter where in the world your wanderlust (or career) may take you, one of the best things about traveling is staying in a hotel. There are so many beautiful hotels around the world with great service, amazing amenities, and striking architecture – and we’ve written about many of them. Even so, hotels can be a breeding ground for thieves and scammers. Here are the four top worldwide hotel scams:
Fake Menus
Great! A local pizzeria slipped their flier under your hotel room door, now you won’t have to look any further for dinner. False. You’re about to hand over your name and credit card info to an identity thief posing as a pizzeria. This run of the mill scam is so popular, it’s even seen at Disney World of all places. If you want some low-key food to order in, ask the hotel for a recommendation instead. Before ordering anything, always check with the front desk to see if these are legitimate restaurants, or use Google to find local restaurants, and pay in cash. Never use your credit card over the phone.
The Room Inspectors
Two people usually dressed up as hotel employees will knock on your door, saying they need to do a routine check of your room/smoke detector/etc. If you let them in, one will engage you in conversation to distract you while the other steals your valuables. Hotels never do room inspections while the guest is in the room. So, if this happens to you know it’s most likely a scam. Call the main desk and tell them what’s going on. This scam is very popular in Spain.
Credit Card Issues?
Another scary way to get your credit card information stolen is this common scenario; you give your CC info to the front desk to apply any room charges to, as always. Later, you get a call from the concierge asking to confirm your credit card info over the phone (a huge no-no), as there was a problem when they entered it. In reality, you’ve been contacted by someone who called the front desk and asked for a room number that happened to be yours, and they’re pretending to be the front desk to get your information and steal your identity. There’s no way to tell that the call is coming from outside the hotel, because the perpetrator puts on a professional front. To avoid this disaster, tell them you’ll come downstairs to confirm it in person. Then go down or call the front desk directly to make sure it’s legit. You may be half asleep and not in the mood, but it’s better than having your identity stolen.
Don’t Drink the Water
This scam happens a lot overseas. If you go to a hotel, usually in a third world country, you may see various signs around the hotel that say, “do not drink water” or “water not safe for consumption” and other things along those lines. When you go to the front desk to ask about the water, they’ll say that the water in the hotel isn’t safe, but they have fresh bottled water you can buy (at an obscene price). Or you might have bottled water already in your room upon arrival. When you check out of the hotel, you’ll see extra charges on your bill for the water. This is when your research comes in. In cases like this, the hotel is usually trying to scam you by making you buy their bottled water even though the water in your room is fine. Research to see if the city and country you’re in has safe drinking water or not. If it doesn’t, you’re still better off buying your own water locally than buying the hotel’s water.
Hotels can be one of the best parts about traveling, but always remember that scams can happen. Make sure to thoroughly research the country you’re visiting, and the hotel you’re staying at. Read hotel reviews to see what other people have experienced. If there’s ever a problem or a concern, don’t be afraid to go to the front desk.
You’re supposed to be safety conscious when you travel. Don’t be such an unsuspecting traveler that hopes for the best. Secure your belongings and this includes your card and your cash.?
Exactly. I don’t trust everything that gets handed to me. I ask a lot of questions and do a lot of verifying. If something seems too good to be true, I disregard it.
Geez, of course hotels won’t do inspections of your hotel when you’re checked in. Those are obviously scams. As you can see, most of these scams are because of credit cards, so make sure you avoid using your card wih unecessary purchases that can be easily purchased with cash. While it looks very classy to keep bringing your credit card out, you don’t want to get scammed in a foreigh country and you don’t want to end up being broke because of that.
Be careful of cleaning services too. Don’t leave your valuables in open spaces. Keep them properly inside locked bags.
Card scams only happen when you’re in cheap hotels. Especially the delivery flyer one.
Hotels should have more security. How can they even have people who are not checked-in inside their hotels? I’m sure if they were visitors of the people who are checked-in, they can easily call or verify, but if they can’t verify anything, WHY WOULD THEY ALLOW THEM INSIDE???
Credit card fraud is so common so you always have to take care of your details. I also suggest that you don’t just leave your passports lying around because even the housekeeping can’t be trusted.
Not only the water, but avoid eating anything on the mini bar. Even their Cheetos are expensive as heck. I always tell my kids not to touch those snacks.?
I honestly never thought of these things. I travel a lot but I always rely on room service even though I never got handed restaurant flyers that could be scams. I think you have to really watch out when you’re using credit cards. It’s better to just bring cash with you even in restaurants. You’ll never know which ones are safe and not safe. You know how other places are when they see tourists, they see you as a walking source of money. I only use my cards when I’m going to make big purchases but for smaller ones, stick to cash.
This is so true!!! They think we’re easy targets of scams. I’m like no, I’m smart.
Wow, some of those scams look unrealistic, that’s just crazy how people are unscrupulous. Most of my hotel experiences were good but sometimes I had issues with TV or bathroom and the front desk didn’t want to hear about it…And they still charge you for these services!
Good advice about scams that I have never heard of before. I’d like to add one thing though, what about the daily charge scam to use the hotel Wi Fi in the room that you paid for while the lobby access is free?
Great point!