GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – We’re in the middle of the typical spring break season, and as people are heading to warmer locations for a bit – it’s important to be aware of your surroundings.
Scammers consider tourists and business travelers easy targets, so always stay aware and protect your personal information. Susan Bach with the Better Business Bureau says to watch out for quick and easy food options.
“Maybe there’s a brochure or flyer in the hotel lobby that offers a free delivery service. Scammers are doing that, hoping that you will call after a long day of traveling and order food – but it’s completely fake,” Bach told WTAQ News. “In the middle of the night, they’ll receive a call for their room from somebody claiming to be the front desk and that there’s a problem with your credit card number. Now you’ve just been aroused from sleep, you may not really be oriented.”
Those fake calls might convince you to quickly provide the information to get back to sleep, but it’s not actually the front desk.
An even more commonly known issue involves people skimming information through faulty WiFi connections.
“Scammers will camp out nearby…in a hotel lobby, or maybe even in the parking lot sometimes…hoping that people will log in to an insecure network or WiFi connection where they may transmit personal information,” Bach said. “You want to make sure that you ask the front desk which network is the secure, hotel-sponsored WiFi connection…Make sure that you are logging into a secure WiFi connection. Scammers may create a hot spot that has a similar sounding name to the venue or the hotel that you’re staying at.”
Another issue Bach has seen lately involves the hotel itself causing issues.
“They were often double charged a paid in cash for their room but then the credit card that they had on file was also charged so in order to avoid any kind of disputes like that it’s really important for you to get a receipt for your payment method,” Bach said.
To learn more about these scams and how to keep your information and money safe while on vacation, head to BBB.org.
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