Phone scammer targeting local hotels
»Play Video
GRESHAM, Ore. -- If you're planning to travel this upcoming holiday season, you'll want to be vigilant when it comes to staying in hotels or motels.
One scammer is targeting a Gresham hotel, calling it over and over again, which prompted the hotel to change some of its policies.
The Gresham Super 8 has been the constant target of one scammer who continues to call the hotel, asking to be connected to a certain room number. However, when the front desk clerk asks for the name of the person in the room the caller is looking for, the caller hangs up. It's a new policy at the hotel to follow up on these calls.
"He's not giving up," the clerk said. "If anything, they're trying harder."
The scammer is trying to get credit card information or names and addresses from customers.
"I'm just really afraid when people are traveling for the holiday coming up, that they'll be so busy traveling, they won't remember to guard their privacy," said hotel employee Becky McWrightman.
McWrightman has taken the most calls from the same man -- at least three of them this past Friday night.
"I think it's just disgusting," she said.
McWrightman said she found out it was happening from a customer who received a call. The scammer pretended to be a hotel employee calling from the front desk. He claimed there was a power surge and he needed to re-enter her credit card number.
"Apparently, the man on the telephone kind of bullied her and said, 'Really, ma'am. We're very busy down here. Why are you giving us such a hard time?'" McWrightman said.
The hotel guest didn't fall for it, but McWrightman is worried other have fallen for it.
"I was just scared to death," McWrightman said. "I wondered how many telephone calls had come in that I put through that he might have gotten someone's information from."
McWrightman and her other co-workers want to warn others -- and the scammer, too.
"I just want him to know it's not going to work at this property," McWrightman said.
The hotel does not have caller ID, so there was no chance to try to track down the scammer.
Christmas is coming so the crooks need some money.
What interesting is that there are two caller id's sent down the line. One is what you see on your CID, and there is another CID that shows true info that 911 sees, and you cannot block that information.
They don't have caller ID? Seriously? Maybe it's about time to get it.I sure hope people are cautious about people asking for their information via telephone at home or while traveling. If you didn't initiate the call, don't give out the information. Simple.
I have one of my old credit card numbers that I give scammers. It keeps them busy trying to make it work.
Â
Fun times.
"The hotel does not have caller ID, so there was no chance to try to track down the scammer." Â (from the story)
Â
Wasn't it here that we read recently about Caller ID and people programming them so a fake name or # would show up on the Caller ID of the person they were calling? Â Â So... as long as scammers can do that with Caller ID, it probably wouldn't help the hotel much even if they had it on their phones... Â
Â
Sounds like they're using good ol' human caution, though, asking for the name, instead of just putting the call through to the room's phone... Good for them.! Â Â
Â
I still like the guest's response when the scammer got through to him, and gave him that story about needing to re-enter his credit card #; the guy just told the scammer "he'd stop by the front desk & give them all the info in the morning"... and hung up. Â Â
This happened at a hotel in Vancouver too. So he isn't just sticking to Oregon hotels.Â
This is not only happening in Gresham, this is also happening to a lot of Salem properties. Sounds like the same person that is calling the Salem properties also.
Â