Hotel Check-in Scam Hits The Hudson Valley

Beware of this simple yet effective nationwide scam the next time you check into a hotel.

According to the Lloyd Police Department, the scam works like this:

• You arrive at your hotel and check in at the front desk
• At check-in the front desk takes your credit card, charges you and hands you back your card
• A scammer calls your room, claims to be from the hotel and tells you there was an issue with your credit card information
• The scammer asks you to give your credit card number and last 3 digits numbers from the reverse side of your card over the phone

“If you ever encounter this scenario on your travels, tell the caller that you will be down to the front desk to clear up any problems,” Lloyd police wrote in a Facebook post. “Then, go to the front desk or call directly and ask if there was a problem. If there was none, inform the manager of the hotel that someone tried to scam you of your credit card information, acting like a front desk employee.”

The scam works because the scammer sounds very professional, giving you the assumption they really are from the front desk, police say. In reality, they called the hotel and asked for a random room number in hopes of obtaining your credit card information.

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