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.
Is this for real? Some of it are very obvious that it’s a scam. Anyone who is smart enough will recognize that it’s fake. How many idiots can get scammed with these things? I easily suspect scams whenever it includes CC details. I would never give anyone my CC details especially when traveling. Even the front desk doesn’t even ask these things because they’re safety protocols. Anyway, I just really hope that nobody gets scammed now because this article says it all!
This is for real. Believe it or not, people actually get scammed.
I hate these desperate scammers. Why can’t they just make a proper living instead of leeching on someone else’s money.?
I don’t want to be scammed in a country where I don’t know other people because I’m on a vacation. I would literally not be able to come home if that happens to me.
Hahah, the hotel bottled water. Always the easiest scam to fall for. The price list is a lie too because it usually comes with a huge service charge.
I always travel with friends because I can’t be trusted alone. I don’t know, I guess I trust people too easily.?
That will seriously be the death of you.
Bottled waters in hotels really are crazy expensive. I always sneak bottled waters from convenience stores whenever I would travel because I definitely don’t want to spend so much money over bottled water. There was this one time that I accidentally drank the bottled water from the hotel instead of the one that I bought outside and I had to pay x10 of the amount of the actual water bottle. It even has service charge that I don’t know where it came from. I was so pissed!
That is really scary. I also don’t think that you should withdraw money in places that look unsafe. There can be credit card scanners in the area. Maybe using money changers are better.
If anyone gets scammed by something like this, it would be their fault. Seriously, be careful. Unless it was a really tricky scam, I don’t think it would be very easy to fall prey to.