Scam Of The Week: Phony Hotel Front Desk Call

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Seniors In The Air: No, No On Bad Jokes!

On a recent flight, a self-appointed humorist told fellow passengers he had Ebola, then laughed and said he was just kidding. However, the pilot wasn’t kidding when he immediately returned to the airport and ordered a medical team in hazard suits. Result: A planeload of frightened, frustrated and delayed passengers, plus the jailed jokester faces legal, possible criminal charges.

We’re aware that many travel4seniors.com readers have spent responsible lifetimes in business, education and the military. Along with that serious career success, especially with ex-military, there’s often a creative sense of humor.

Scam Of The Week: Phony Hotel Front Desk Call

You’re just settling down in your hotel room when the phone rings. The caller says the hotel computer has crashed, and to redo the paperwork, they need you to give your credit card number immediately.

Do not comply! Hang up and call the front desk for confirmation. You may find it was a scam to hack your bank or credit card account. This is a growing illegal business originating in China, Africa and the Middle East. Some of the phony calls originate from prisons where the inmates work from smuggled cell phones.

Rooms full of callers work the phones constantly with the phony messages. When they succeed in getting IDs, they’re able to quickly hack the bank accounts and make illegal withdrawals before the owners can react.

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