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.
Yeah… I had the credit card scam pulled on me on our last trip. But I have a policy if someone calls me asking for this kind of information I don’t give it to them. I told the caller, supposedly the front desk, that I would come down and take care of the problem. The caller said never mind and hung up.
Hotel scams are normal. Sometimes, they will put an extra charge for something you did not ask for, or get. If you’re not that observant, you will pay for that.
Great tips! These are helpful, especially to those who travel alone. Keep safe as always!
Uh-oh. This reminds me of my vacation in Spain. I thought they are staff, but they stole my cameras and cash. I was just lucky that my credit card is in my pocket that time.
Nice tricks, but they will never fool me. Haha! I never let anyone in my room, and I always pay in cash.
I ordered a pizza while at a hotel in Vegas. At nearly 30 dollars for one pizza I was expecting it to show up and It did! But I swear it was nothing more than a red baron pizza or something you’d buy at the grocery store for 4$. Was it a scam????
Is it me? But do people actually fall for these things? First of all – I would never answer the phone in the hotel room – in fact I usually unplug the line. If someone needs to reach me they call call my phone. If the hotel needs to reach me – walk up and knock on the door. If I order food I get on my phone or laptop and order from a nearby place that delivers – or I can call room service directly. I also make sure I always have my own wifi with me. 🙂
If you have common sense you will not be a victim. I feel bad for people who get scammed — but really, we should all question things rather than just going along.
One thing though, IF there’s a flyer that can get inside your hotel room, it must be a cheap hotel. Cheap hotels must be avoided for hygiene and safety reasons!
You also have to look out for the hotel employee/thief. I once stayed at a huge Holiday Inn in Cincinatti that had indoor volleyball, indoor swimming pool and a huge play area for children. I was getting ready to go out one night and heard a knock at the door. I looked out the peep hole and didn’t recognize the person. I didn’t want to take the time to answer the door so I figured they would go away. Next thing I hear the door open up. I was in the bathroom with the door closed most of the way so they didn’t know I was there. I stepped out of the bathroom seeing this young guy reaching for my suitcase. I scared the #$%$ out of him when I said, “You touch my stuff and I’ll break you in half and then call the police.” He immediately identified himself as a hotel employee and that he was looking for a woman by the name of blah, blah, blah. I told him that she isn’t in my suitcase and that heed needed to leave now. I call the front desk and they said he must have gone to the wrong room. I can only assume that the guy at the front desk was covering for his thief buddy. I should have called the police.