14 years
Yes, about every 2 weeks.
I think I posted something about this around 6 months ago.
Hostel/Hotel Email Scam Warning
Front Desk Operations
Hostel/Hotel Scam alert:
(Sent to me via HostelManagement.com :))
Booking Needed From The Manager...
Hello, I will be interested to know if you could assist me in getting an
accomodation for my 4 pax coming over to your country for a holiday. Below
is the details of my booking: Room Type. 4 Standard rooms Check in: 15th
june, 2010 Check out: 25th of june 2010 Number of guest...4 people. Days
of stay...10 days Get back to me on this ASAP,so that we can proceed on
this,also i will like you to know that all payment will be via my secure
credit card and payment made before the arrival of my client via my secure
credit card details. Thanks and kind regards.
Scammer email address: Mr Rick Tom
More accommodation scam examples:
http://www.eastbournehouse.co.uk/Scam%20Bookings.htm
http://www.eastbournehouse.co.uk/scams2.asp
Do you ever get these scam emails at your hostel?
- Comments
14 years
I think I remember -- this one? Looks like the scammers are trying every angle...
I replied to him, but didn't get an answer yet. I'll post an update if he replies :)
Strangely, I occasionally get booking inquiries through HM. A mother even e-mailed HM once asking if I had information on her daughter who had headed to a famous party hostel in the Western Mediterranean and neglected to email home for a few days :rolleyes:
14 years
We get them about once a week. At the moment they usually seem to want to accommdate 4 Eastern Orthodox priests in training. They'll pay $4000 via credit card, but they want you to send $1000 of that to them back via western union to pay for a local translator. They don't have CC processing facilities you see. Of course the credit card they supply is stolen, and the payment to you will be reversed, and you'll lose your $1000.
They come into the catagory of greed baiting - they always offer to pay far more than the beds are worth to try and catch suckers. Put them straight in the "bin"
Such as this one:
"Hello,
I want to make a reservation in your facility for four (4) newly ordained priests from Greece, they will be visiting your country for a seven (7) day religious program in the
month of June 2010.
Please check availability and get back to me with the costs for the duration of their stay in 4 rooms for single occupancy or 2 Double/Twin rooms with 2 single beds in each for double occupancy, for the seven nights starting from 10th June - 17th June, then I can make deposit to book the rooms.
I look forward to hearing from you shortly.
Kind Regards,
Andy"
14 years
And yet another one this evening:
"Hello,
Compliments of the season. America Research
Institute,New York, humbly wish to request for the accommodation of our two(2) staff who are coming for a research programme in your area. The company will highly appreciate it, if you can offer room(s) or apartment that can accommodate them. Below is our planned
schedule for the group.
NAME:ENGR.LARRY MILTON AND ENGR.FRANK VION
Arrival Date: 5th September, 2010
Arrival time: 12:00 noon
Departure Date: 26th September,2010
Departure time: 12:00 noon
Room Type: Standard single/double Room/apartment/camping house
Number of people: 2
Number Of Rooms: 2
Length of Stay: 3 weeks (21 days)
The company will be fully responsible for their trip, so calculate the total cost for their stay in Euro or GBP if the dates are available so that i can give you my credit card details / Cheque for a deposit payment, also the company will highly appreciate it, if discount is given on the price.
Thanks and God Bless you, Have a wonderful day.
Sincerely yours,
David Bryant
American Research Institute
+447011140476
NOTE:MODE OF PAYMENT IS BY CREDIT CARD OR CHEQUE PAYMENT"
Hostel managers need to warn inexperienced staff about this scam.
14 years
Certainly any receptionists who'll be checking and replying to email bookings need to be made aware of these. Some of them are blatantly obviously suspect, but others are better done. When you've seen enough of them they stand out, but to a new employee it wouldn't be so obvious. Hopefully when it got to the stage of wiring $1000 to a western union account or similar the manager would have become involved and spot this.
Personally I look at the email address - if they are purporting to be a tour organising company, but are using a free webmail address, it can go strait in the bin.
14 years
Taking the example of Plakian's latest: If a hostel believes this is genuine and makes the booking, and sends the invoice, nothing is lost yet, is it? The only loss will occur if a hostel accepts a later request to send money to some other party, or if they think they have been paid and then the guests do not arrive which is then loss of business but not loss of money.
14 years
Probably not I guess, though I'd always want to avoid dealing with these sort of scammers. The bank will charge you for a credit card transaction that is reversed i.e. a chargeback fee. These fees vary. Also if it happens at ahigh level it might affect the percentage fee you pay on all credit card transactions. Worst case scenario would be the banks with drawing credit card processing facilities from the merchant, although this would be unlikely.
The other almost more harmful scam is letters that come in offering listing in (usuall) swiss hotel listing guides. They are no use in the hostelling world (or any accommdation to be honest) and the small print details the charges as up to €1000. If the hostel sends these forms back the scammers will use legal action to attempt to recover the monies. The letters often come looking like real invoices - the scammers just hope some low level office worker will send them back.
Another one I got for the 1st time this year in the post was a letter from some american company stating that our domain name was expiring (which it was) and we should send them $50 to renew it. The problem is that they aren't the ISP who have our name, and if you send the invoice off then they suddenly own your domain. Got to hate scammers.
14 years
Another one I got for the 1st time this year in the post was a letter from some american company stating that our domain name was expiring (which it was) and we should send them $50 to renew it. The problem is that they aren't the ISP who have our name, and if you send the invoice off then they suddenly own your domain. Got to hate scammers.
I used to get those from "Domain Registry of America" until I switched my domains to "private registration"...
I just got another kind of scam letter a couple of weeks ago: It was an official looking letter that said I needed to file some papers with the California Secretary of State and to send them $175 to file it. Unless examined closely, it looks like a government letter. I'm sure many businesses send them $175 thinking that it's a required government fee...
14 years
Scammer email address: Mr Rick Tom
7 days later I've received a reply from [email][email protected][/email] :)
Dear,
Thank you for the timely reply to my email enquirer. And also i will
like you to please get back to me with the grand total cost for the
whole night of stay.Below is the details of my booking:
Room Type. 4 Standard rooms
Check in: June 15th, 2010
Check out: June 26th 2010
Number of guest...4 people.
Days of stay...10 days
Below is Pax Name:Pax Names.
Mr Rick Tom
Mr Juan Stephen
Steve Carlos
Mrs lilly GuerraSo get back to me with the total cost,so that i can make the payment
via my secure credit card details upfront,also i will like you to know
that all payment will be via my secure credit card and payment made
before the arrival of my client via my secure credit card details.
Thanks and kind regards.
Kind Rick
Creative names... I told him it is $9500. Will see what he says next :)
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