# Beware of calls to your hotel phone - front desk impersonation scam - this happened in Elara, but may happen elsewhere



## Nowaker (Dec 30, 2021)

Here's a copy of the statement, exactly as I filed it with Elara's manager & security: 



> On 12/30, 5.12pm, I texted 702-XXX-YYYY - your front desk PBX service and asked for:
> 1. a new pair of sheets for pullout sofa
> 2. bags from bell service - ticket XXX.
> A couple minutes later bell service called my room phone and told me they would be bringing my bags in 5-10 mins. And they did. When the bell was unloading the bags I received another call on the hotel phone. The person, female, told she's calling from the front desk, and the have a problem with my deposit credit card and they'd like a  different card to hold. I questioned this as a scam but she assured me it was not by telling me "how would I not be from the front desk if I knew about your sheets and bags request?". This was a strong argument as I did ask for sheets and bags. This suggests it is an inside job. Someone sent a tip - room number and background info - to pull out a scam.



I wanted to warn you guys. Don't fall for it like I did! It's the first time I've been scammed - ever! As for my card, the moment it was hit with $2,025 transaction from Priceline, I immediately blocked it, requested replacement, and reported transactions as fraud. Then, headed to the manager's desk to report this incident.

I gotta say, the scheme was pulled off really well. There's no way it's not an inside job. They knew too much - not only about my request (sheets and bags) - but also the room number, and timing of everything. It was too precise to be a random act of phishing. The scammers were tipped. No doubt about it. Hopefully Elara security finds the dark sheep.


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## escanoe (Dec 30, 2021)

Only (slight possibility) not an inside job: someone or listening device in front lobby hearing what is requested along with room number and participating in scam. If an employee is doing this, sounds like a huge risk of getting caught if it happens very often.

Booking something on Priceline also seems like poorly planned use of a stolen card number.


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## Nowaker (Dec 31, 2021)

A planted device... maybe. If it's in bell's service room where bags are stored, and my request was passed there in full - it's entirely possible. I'll pass this hypothesis to the security & manager, and ask see if it makes sense to them. The real question is how guests' requests are announced in internal systems - if it's sort of a broadcast, and both bell service and room service hear the same request on a speaker, a listening device is plausible, though it doesn't preclude an inside job. In fact, it would make an inside job pretty easy if all requests are heard or seen by a large number employees across many departments. However, if the text operator passes requests individually to respective departments, then an inside job is even more likely. Very precise information on what my request was (sheets and bags), just 10 minutes after it was made, would point towards the text service operator as a possible tipper. 

I rejected a possibility of a listening device in my room. My wife and I speak Polish to each other, so there's no way they'd know about sheets and bags. Moreover, I didn't call the front desk - I texted their service number.

Very interesting experience overall, I've never been scammed before.


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## Talent312 (Dec 31, 2021)

When checking-in, I'm sometimes asked for my cell number.
"So we can send you information on activities and facilities."
It's a mistake. I got travel-solicitations for the next few months.
Never again... Not at any hotel or resort.
.


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## alwysonvac (Dec 31, 2021)

Nowaker said:


> Here's a copy of the statement, exactly as I filed it with Elara's manager & security:
> 
> 
> > On 12/30, 5.12pm, I texted 702-XXX-YYYY - your front desk PBX service and asked for:
> ...


Thanks for sharing


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## pedro47 (Dec 31, 2021)

Nowaker said:


> Here's a copy of the statement, exactly as I filed it with Elara's manager & security:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing your experience.


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## stmartinfan (Dec 31, 2021)

Wow, that's a pretty slick way to scam someone….as you said there's got to be an inside connection or some sort of listening device.  Seems like it will be hard for them to get away with $$$ when it just takes one incident for their security team to be aware it's happening.


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## Janann (Dec 31, 2021)

Thanks for sharing so that other people can avoid having the same problem.

My theory is pretty much what you posted -- that someone employed at the Elara handed off the room number and service request information to someone unrelated at another location.  The person at the other location is the one who called the room and obtained your new credit card number.

It would be interesting to know if the call to your room was from inside the hotel, or if it came in from an outside number, and was then transferred by the hotel phone operator.  Their security department should (hopefully) be able to track the path of the phone call.


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## Nowaker (Dec 31, 2021)

Janann said:


> It would be interesting to know if the call to your room was from inside the hotel, or if it came in from an outside number, and was then transferred by the hotel phone operator. Their security department should (hopefully) be able to track the path of the phone call.


They said they would investigate that. I'll inquire about that for sure as I'm very curious. There's many options:

- outside call (if there's a way to call them - not sure) 
- room to room (call originated from a bookable unit)
- common area (there's a phone at elevators on each floor, and I guess there's tons of other phones spread out throughout the property) 

I actually can't even tell whether the first call I received was legit (bell service making a call to me to let me know the ETA) or not (an initial call to establish trust so a subsequent call about hotel matters sounds normal).


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## davidvel (Dec 31, 2021)

It would seem they would have a call log showing from where the call originated,narrowing down the source.

Edit: Janann beat me...


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## TheTimeTraveler (Dec 31, 2021)

Nowaker said:


> Here's a copy of the statement, exactly as I filed it with Elara's manager & security:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




I think that I would also file a report with the Las Vegas Police Department.  They may or may not be familiar with this but no one knows if they aren't involved.......




.


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## Ty1on (Dec 31, 2021)

There is never a good reason to provide the front desk a CC number over the phone while sitting in your room.  "I'll be right down and we'll figure this out."


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## Luanne (Dec 31, 2021)

Ty1on said:


> There is never a good reason to provide the front desk a CC number over the phone while sitting in your room.  "I'll be right down and we'll figure this out."


That will be my new response if any personal information is requested over the phone.


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## zentraveler (Dec 31, 2021)

Luanne said:


> That will be my new response if any personal information is requested over the phone.



In my mind there is rarely to never a good reason to give anyone I don't know a credit card number over the phone. Thanks to the OP for posting.


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## Luanne (Dec 31, 2021)

zentraveler said:


> In my mind there is rarely to never a good reason to give anyone I don't know a credit card number over the phone. Thanks to the OP for posting.


Oh, I have given my credit card number out over the phone.  But it's when I am ordering something, or paying a bill and either I've initiated the call, or I'm talking to someone I know.


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## Talent312 (Dec 31, 2021)

Luanne said:


> Oh, I have given my credit card number out over the phone.
> But it's when I am ordering something, or paying a bill and
> either I've initiated the call or I'm talking to someone I know.



I concur.
I called our gym to pay our annual membership renewal.
I had almost forgotten and didn't want to snail-mail a form.
.


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## BingoBangoBongo (Dec 31, 2021)

Any chance you texted to a wrong #?  Kinda like the people tired of being misdialed for pizza/Chinese take out and start taking orders?   I’m also curios why you use the term PBX, which would be an older model of phone system not used for texting?  Where did you get the number to begin with?


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## Nowaker (Dec 31, 2021)

BingoBangoBongo said:


> Any chance you texted to a wrong #?


Not a chance. The manager at Elara confirmed it was their number.



BingoBangoBongo said:


> I’m also curios why you use the term PBX, which would be an older model of phone system not used for texting? Where did you get the number to begin with?


That's how the manager called the team that works the "front desk" for calls originating from the rooms as well as texts and calls coming from guests' cell phones. It doesn't matter the texts go through GSM. What matters is the PBX team is assigned to respond to those.


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## Eric B (Dec 31, 2021)

Ty1on said:


> There is never a good reason to provide the front desk a CC number over the phone while sitting in your room.  "I'll be right down and we'll figure this out."



For me, given that the hold goes through while I'm there checking in at most resorts and they have me sign a receipt for it, it would be "Ok, I'll take care of it when I check out.  You didn't really need a hold anyway."


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## jehb2 (Jan 3, 2022)

Nowaker said:


> As for my card, the moment it was hit with $2,025 transaction from Priceline, I immediately blocked…



Thanks for posting this.  It sounds like you get alerts for every transaction.  I get notified immediately via text for every purchase I make on my credit card.  At first I thought it would be a pain in the rear end, but it isn’t.  It’s really convenient.


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## GT75 (Jan 3, 2022)

jehb2 said:


> It sounds like you get alerts for every transaction. I get notified immediately via text for every purchase I make on my credit card. At first I thought it would be a pain in the rear end, but it isn’t. It’s really convenient.


I also do the same thing for all of my credit cards and have the exact same thoughts.


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## brp (Jan 3, 2022)

jehb2 said:


> Thanks for posting this.  It sounds like you get alerts for every transaction.  I get notified immediately via text for every purchase I make on my credit card.  At first I thought it would be a pain in the rear end, but it isn’t.  It’s really convenient.



I get a text for all "card not present" transactions. If I use the physical card, that's less likely to be a scam 

But I love getting the texts for the few times it was not legit.

Cheers.


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## Talent312 (Jan 3, 2022)

brp said:


> I get a text for all "card not present" transactions.



I got such a text while at a restaurant in West Yellowstone which told me someone in town had copied my CC info.
I called the CC company (who issued a new card) and the merchant named in the notice to stop the sale.
They said they'd investigate, but I doubt there was much they could do.
.


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## dioxide45 (Jan 3, 2022)

Talent312 said:


> I got such a text while at a restaurant in West Yellowstone which told me someone in town had copied my CC info.
> I called the CC company (who issued a new card) and the merchant named in the notice to stop the sale.
> They said they'd investigate, but I doubt there was much they could do.
> .


In most cases like these, either the merchant takes the loss or the credit card company just writes it off. It is pretty rare that anyone ever gets charged with a crime or fraud in these situations.


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## NewTSerInFL (Jan 4, 2022)

As a former hotel employee here's another thought. What if the person receiving the texts then calls on a radio to each department (or all at once) the requests you made? I doubt hotel radios would be scrambled. Someone could be nearby and just relaying information.


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