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New credit card scam at resort area hotels
By Chris O'Donnell "It is easy for [the fraudsters] to leave flyers, especially if
Instabill Corp. there are no guest card readers in the elevators," said John,
the Director of Security at a large Midwest hotel, who
here is a telling scene in The Guard, an inde- requested anonymity. "At our hotel, no delivery drivers
pendent film in which Brendan Gleeson plays are able to access the guest floors. We phone the guests
a lazy, small-town police sergeant, and Don and ask them to come down to the lobby.
T Cheadle portrays an FBI agent tracking a large
drug ring in the West of Ireland. "Our front desk staff has relationships with many of the
local places," John said. "We'll keep their menus on file
at the front desk. Some of the restaurants even offer our
Gleeson: "You know, I been readin' where they're employees discounts." He added that a restaurant flyer
smuggling the cocaine over to Colombia in submarines – found in a hotel guest room would be considered a red
submarines they built themselves, like." flag.
Cheadle: "Yeah, it sounds insane, but it is true. You are
correct." What hotel/motel merchants can do
Gleeson: "Crafty little buggers. Y'have to admire their While large hotels and resorts have the security staff to
enterprise, huh?" prevent delivery fraud, thousands of smaller hotels and
Cheadle: "No sergeant, you don't." motels throughout U.S. destination locations have limited
or no security personnel. However, hotels and restaurants
Gleeson: "Ahh ya do." can work together to vet the honest merchants.
Fraudsters and scam artists are never at a loss for creativity. When local eateries leave flyers under guest doors or on
A recent example is a payment scam targeting consumers vehicle windshields at one of your hotel or motel clients,
and destination hotels that has taken on a life of its own suggest that a manager ask them to leave flyers at the front
in Orlando, Fla., San Diego and other vacation hot spots. desk instead and offer to recommend the establishments
How it works to guests in exchange. Those that do not cooperate should
be deemed suspect.
After a late flight, you enter your hotel room to find two What take-out/delivery merchants can do
or three flyers on the floor from local pizza and sandwich
eateries. The hotel restaurant is closed, and the flyers Fraud like this casts a pall over legitimate merchants.
advertise delivery as late as 2 a.m. You call the number and However, your take-out/delivery clients can turn this into
order the legendary chicken parmigiana over pasta with a an opportunity with the following steps:
side of garlic bread, then give your credit card information
and room number. "Be there in 30 minutes," the voice on • Register and develop relationships with each
the other end of the phone says. and every hotel and concierge staff within
your delivery perimeter, so that your eatery is
And you wait. Thirty minutes passes. Then 45. After an recognized and even suggested to guests.
hour your phone vibrates from an e-mail, but it's not the • Advertise your business within the hotel guest
restaurant from which you've ordered. It's your credit card handbook.
issuer requesting you contact it immediately. There has • Offer deals for vacationers, hotel guests and hotel
been suspicious activity regarding your card. staff to further establish legitimacy.
Credit card fraud rampant as ever • If your establishment distributes flyers, display
prominently that you accept cash or credit card at
At the 2015 CNP Expo May 18 to 21 in Orlando, about two- the time of delivery.
thirds of the more than 30 seminars dealt with payments
security and fraud. Attendees and guests were told to
ignore the restaurant delivery flyers underneath their
room doors (two to three were under some guests' doors Chris O'Donnell is a Senior Copywriter for the Instabill Corporation,
each night) because they may be fraudulent. in Portsmouth, N.H. Instabill is a full service provider of merchant
accounts to e-commerce, MOTO and POS businesses. A resident of
In many hotels, the distribution of flyers underneath guest coastal New England, Mr. O'Donnell is also a contributor to The Daily
room doors and on the windshields of parked cars is not News (Newburyport, Mass.) and Newburyport Magazine.
permitted. Some delivery/takeout eateries, however, find
ways to enter guest areas.
25
New credit card scam at resort area hotels
By Chris O'Donnell "It is easy for [the fraudsters] to leave flyers, especially if
Instabill Corp. there are no guest card readers in the elevators," said John,
the Director of Security at a large Midwest hotel, who
here is a telling scene in The Guard, an inde- requested anonymity. "At our hotel, no delivery drivers
pendent film in which Brendan Gleeson plays are able to access the guest floors. We phone the guests
a lazy, small-town police sergeant, and Don and ask them to come down to the lobby.
T Cheadle portrays an FBI agent tracking a large
drug ring in the West of Ireland. "Our front desk staff has relationships with many of the
local places," John said. "We'll keep their menus on file
at the front desk. Some of the restaurants even offer our
Gleeson: "You know, I been readin' where they're employees discounts." He added that a restaurant flyer
smuggling the cocaine over to Colombia in submarines – found in a hotel guest room would be considered a red
submarines they built themselves, like." flag.
Cheadle: "Yeah, it sounds insane, but it is true. You are
correct." What hotel/motel merchants can do
Gleeson: "Crafty little buggers. Y'have to admire their While large hotels and resorts have the security staff to
enterprise, huh?" prevent delivery fraud, thousands of smaller hotels and
Cheadle: "No sergeant, you don't." motels throughout U.S. destination locations have limited
or no security personnel. However, hotels and restaurants
Gleeson: "Ahh ya do." can work together to vet the honest merchants.
Fraudsters and scam artists are never at a loss for creativity. When local eateries leave flyers under guest doors or on
A recent example is a payment scam targeting consumers vehicle windshields at one of your hotel or motel clients,
and destination hotels that has taken on a life of its own suggest that a manager ask them to leave flyers at the front
in Orlando, Fla., San Diego and other vacation hot spots. desk instead and offer to recommend the establishments
How it works to guests in exchange. Those that do not cooperate should
be deemed suspect.
After a late flight, you enter your hotel room to find two What take-out/delivery merchants can do
or three flyers on the floor from local pizza and sandwich
eateries. The hotel restaurant is closed, and the flyers Fraud like this casts a pall over legitimate merchants.
advertise delivery as late as 2 a.m. You call the number and However, your take-out/delivery clients can turn this into
order the legendary chicken parmigiana over pasta with a an opportunity with the following steps:
side of garlic bread, then give your credit card information
and room number. "Be there in 30 minutes," the voice on • Register and develop relationships with each
the other end of the phone says. and every hotel and concierge staff within
your delivery perimeter, so that your eatery is
And you wait. Thirty minutes passes. Then 45. After an recognized and even suggested to guests.
hour your phone vibrates from an e-mail, but it's not the • Advertise your business within the hotel guest
restaurant from which you've ordered. It's your credit card handbook.
issuer requesting you contact it immediately. There has • Offer deals for vacationers, hotel guests and hotel
been suspicious activity regarding your card. staff to further establish legitimacy.
Credit card fraud rampant as ever • If your establishment distributes flyers, display
prominently that you accept cash or credit card at
At the 2015 CNP Expo May 18 to 21 in Orlando, about two- the time of delivery.
thirds of the more than 30 seminars dealt with payments
security and fraud. Attendees and guests were told to
ignore the restaurant delivery flyers underneath their
room doors (two to three were under some guests' doors Chris O'Donnell is a Senior Copywriter for the Instabill Corporation,
each night) because they may be fraudulent. in Portsmouth, N.H. Instabill is a full service provider of merchant
accounts to e-commerce, MOTO and POS businesses. A resident of
In many hotels, the distribution of flyers underneath guest coastal New England, Mr. O'Donnell is also a contributor to The Daily
room doors and on the windshields of parked cars is not News (Newburyport, Mass.) and Newburyport Magazine.
permitted. Some delivery/takeout eateries, however, find
ways to enter guest areas.
25
