Home TIPS Senior Traveler Scam: Phony Hotel Food Delivery
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Senior Traveler Scam: Phony Hotel Food Delivery PDF Print E-mail


When arriving in your hotel room, you’ll find a number of menus there for local dining options. Additionally, you may see a menu slid in from underneath the door. Beware! While the list looks real, it may be a restaurant that doesn't exist.

Here's how the scam works: thieves create and print a menu that looks realistic. They roam hotel hallways and push copies into hotel rooms. The menu, listing a local restaurant, invites hotel guests to phone or Email in an order at the end of the day.

Actually, the restaurant doesn't exist. When guests place orders, they’re required to pay by credit card. The food never comes, and the scammers quickly run up phony withdrawals on the credit card.

While traveling, before you decide to order local food, do some homework. An internet search of restaurants near the hotel will give you plenty of dining options. Also, ask the front desk to suggest local restaurants that deliver to the hotel.

 
 
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