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Copperhead

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This morning I woke to find I had a reservation for 14 nights this summer (our slow season). Sounds great until you see the reservation is a person from Nigeria
angry_smile.gif
This is basicly the same scam as the email only now they go ahead with the booking, providing the CC # etc.
This one was easy to spot but they could become more savvy so we all need to keep our eyes open on this.
Here's a little more info.. They booked using Nigerian Name, Address and contact info. Email address was a yahoo account. CC name was different than the guest.
I called my merchant fraud department (some just use the word code 10). They looked up the number and provided me with the name of the bank,(and city) they did not have the phone number for this one (bank not doing their part). I Googled it and contacted their fraud dept. This happens to be a large bank (again surprised there was no phone #).
The guy was very surprised that a small business like ours was as on top of this issue. He asked if I had first tried to run the card. NO there were too many red flags I said, knew it was fraud from the moment I saw the reservation. I said we are not a group of old grandmothers here, some may be grannies but we still are sharp and very business oriented! We don't sit around knitting!!!
So this is heads up, they are now taking rooms out of inventory. Keep a close eye on your bookings and who is booking. You want to get those rooms back in inventory ASAP.
 
Clog up your inventory the losers!!!
Thanks for letting us know. That stupid 14 day thing gets them every time!
 
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We don't sit around knitting!!!
I do but I agree - we are heads up with this crap. I will be interested to see if they try it with me - I do not do the cc.
 
I had a call last week but I didn't really get the details. I told the operator that I would not take the call unless the person said who and what it was about. The operator came back and said that the person wanted to place a to go order. I just hung up.
 
Wow! Now we suffer a chargeback when we run the card if we miss it? I am not sure how they would expect to get money out of this?
 
I had a call last week but I didn't really get the details. I told the operator that I would not take the call unless the person said who and what it was about. The operator came back and said that the person wanted to place a to go order. I just hung up..
OMG. That 'to go order' thing makes me nuts. They call using the TTY service for the deaf so you never know who is on the other end. All you get is the operator who only says what the person types in. As soon as I tell them 2-3 times that I am not a restaurant I tell the operator that they are dealing with a scammer and that I'm hanging up.
 
Wow! Now we suffer a chargeback when we run the card if we miss it? I am not sure how they would expect to get money out of this?.
True. How would they get the money, especially far in advance like that? Would they email after you send the confirmation and ask you to add more onto the cc and then wire them the money? We still lose out because the cc processor will take the money back.
 
Wow! Now we suffer a chargeback when we run the card if we miss it? I am not sure how they would expect to get money out of this?.
True. How would they get the money, especially far in advance like that? Would they email after you send the confirmation and ask you to add more onto the cc and then wire them the money? We still lose out because the cc processor will take the money back.
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Alibi Ike said:
True. How would they get the money, especially far in advance like that? Would they email after you send the confirmation and ask you to add more onto the cc and then wire them the money? We still lose out because the cc processor will take the money back.
No this would not work for them at my place. I only take a 1 night deposit and only do that when the cancel by date is up. The fraud dept. guy asked me what I thought they would get out of this... (new to him). It is my thought that IF I sent a reply they would tell me to take the whole balance AND that they needed us to tack on the flight cost and send it to him .....
The main thing to know here is they now are booking rooms, taking possible income away from you. We all need to keep our eyes pealed for signs. This one was OBVIOUS but they will get more sly as they tweak it and start getting results. I did not respond at all, I do not have auto generated replies.
The good side to this is that we get a card number and can allert the card issuer that a card has been compromised and saving someone some stress.
 
Not sure if this is adjustable, but you might want to make your online booking availability only UP TO a certain amount of days, ie they can book only so many nights, like up to 7 otherwise they must call. I can't remember if that prgm does that I seem to recall it did. Ie book online 1 to 7 nights, more than that a message shows "Call to make this reservation"
It is not the # of nights as you caught that immediately, but taking the rooms out of inventory that could be the big loss there.
 
I had a call last week but I didn't really get the details. I told the operator that I would not take the call unless the person said who and what it was about. The operator came back and said that the person wanted to place a to go order. I just hung up..
OMG. That 'to go order' thing makes me nuts. They call using the TTY service for the deaf so you never know who is on the other end. All you get is the operator who only says what the person types in. As soon as I tell them 2-3 times that I am not a restaurant I tell the operator that they are dealing with a scammer and that I'm hanging up.
.
Good grief...heck I didn't even know they still allowed collect calls :-( NO WAY would I take one!
 
Not sure if this is adjustable, but you might want to make your online booking availability only UP TO a certain amount of days, ie they can book only so many nights, like up to 7 otherwise they must call. I can't remember if that prgm does that I seem to recall it did. Ie book online 1 to 7 nights, more than that a message shows "Call to make this reservation"
It is not the # of nights as you caught that immediately, but taking the rooms out of inventory that could be the big loss there..
Joey Bloggs said:
Not sure if this is adjustable, but you might want to make your online booking availability only UP TO a certain amount of days, ie they can book only so many nights, like up to 7 otherwise they must call. I can't remember if that prgm does that I seem to recall it did. Ie book online 1 to 7 nights, more than that a message shows "Call to make this reservation"
It is not the # of nights as you caught that immediately, but taking the rooms out of inventory that could be the big loss there.
JB the # of days IS a flag and a large one, by limiting the # you reduce one of the flags that raise suspicion. I don't want any days taken out of my availability without a real booking!
And I do not think it would stop them from booking 7 instead of the 14 once they start. There efforts lie after the original booking trying to get money shipped to them. I am sure if I had played this one out, the next step would be for me to charge the card for $XXX more than the amount for the room because they needed it for air fair & other expenses to get them to our place.... All they are after is the amount OVER the room amount so 7,10, 14 days it doesn't matter.
 
Not sure if this is adjustable, but you might want to make your online booking availability only UP TO a certain amount of days, ie they can book only so many nights, like up to 7 otherwise they must call. I can't remember if that prgm does that I seem to recall it did. Ie book online 1 to 7 nights, more than that a message shows "Call to make this reservation"
It is not the # of nights as you caught that immediately, but taking the rooms out of inventory that could be the big loss there..
Joey Bloggs said:
Not sure if this is adjustable, but you might want to make your online booking availability only UP TO a certain amount of days, ie they can book only so many nights, like up to 7 otherwise they must call. I can't remember if that prgm does that I seem to recall it did. Ie book online 1 to 7 nights, more than that a message shows "Call to make this reservation"
It is not the # of nights as you caught that immediately, but taking the rooms out of inventory that could be the big loss there.
JB the # of days IS a flag and a large one, by limiting the # you reduce one of the flags that raise suspicion. I don't want any days taken out of my availability without a real booking!
And I do not think it would stop them from booking 7 instead of the 14 once they start. There efforts lie after the original booking trying to get money shipped to them. I am sure if I had played this one out, the next step would be for me to charge the card for $XXX more than the amount for the room because they needed it for air fair & other expenses to get them to our place.... All they are after is the amount OVER the room amount so 7,10, 14 days it doesn't matter.
.
copperhead said:
Joey Bloggs said:
Not sure if this is adjustable, but you might want to make your online booking availability only UP TO a certain amount of days, ie they can book only so many nights, like up to 7 otherwise they must call. I can't remember if that prgm does that I seem to recall it did. Ie book online 1 to 7 nights, more than that a message shows "Call to make this reservation"
It is not the # of nights as you caught that immediately, but taking the rooms out of inventory that could be the big loss there.
JB the # of days IS a flag and a large one, by limiting the # you reduce one of the flags that raise suspicion. I don't want any days taken out of my availability without a real booking!
And I do not think it would stop them from booking 7 instead of the 14 once they start. There efforts lie after the original booking trying to get money shipped to them. I am sure if I had played this one out, the next step would be for me to charge the card for $XXX more than the amount for the room because they needed it for air fair & other expenses to get them to our place.... All they are after is the amount OVER the room amount so 7,10, 14 days it doesn't matter.
Seems to me it does matter though, as all of us can attest for whatever reason the 14 days is the minimum they seem to always choose. I hate to talk here in the open should they read this and read what we know. I guess I will just leave it at you know what I know what we all know.
omg_smile.gif

 
I had a call last week but I didn't really get the details. I told the operator that I would not take the call unless the person said who and what it was about. The operator came back and said that the person wanted to place a to go order. I just hung up..
OMG. That 'to go order' thing makes me nuts. They call using the TTY service for the deaf so you never know who is on the other end. All you get is the operator who only says what the person types in. As soon as I tell them 2-3 times that I am not a restaurant I tell the operator that they are dealing with a scammer and that I'm hanging up.
.
Good grief...heck I didn't even know they still allowed collect calls :-( NO WAY would I take one!
.
catlady said:
Good grief...heck I didn't even know they still allowed collect calls :-( NO WAY would I take one!
It's not a collect call. The deaf person uses a calling company. The deaf person types in what they want the caller to say to you. The intermediary then tells you what was typed. They tell you at the start, 'Don't talk to me, talk to the person who is making the call.'
http://www.adcohearing.com/tty_what_tty.html
 
I had a call last week but I didn't really get the details. I told the operator that I would not take the call unless the person said who and what it was about. The operator came back and said that the person wanted to place a to go order. I just hung up..
OMG. That 'to go order' thing makes me nuts. They call using the TTY service for the deaf so you never know who is on the other end. All you get is the operator who only says what the person types in. As soon as I tell them 2-3 times that I am not a restaurant I tell the operator that they are dealing with a scammer and that I'm hanging up.
.
Good grief...heck I didn't even know they still allowed collect calls :-( NO WAY would I take one!
.
catlady said:
Good grief...heck I didn't even know they still allowed collect calls :-( NO WAY would I take one!
It's not a collect call. The deaf person uses a calling company. The deaf person types in what they want the caller to say to you. The intermediary then tells you what was typed. They tell you at the start, 'Don't talk to me, talk to the person who is making the call.'
http://www.adcohearing.com/tty_what_tty.html
.
Oh gosh that makes it even more dispicable...using a disability as spammer ;-(
 
I think they use that service so they can use a tranlator online. It slows the call and makes it easier to put stuff into babblefish or whatever they are using.
 
Not sure if this is adjustable, but you might want to make your online booking availability only UP TO a certain amount of days, ie they can book only so many nights, like up to 7 otherwise they must call. I can't remember if that prgm does that I seem to recall it did. Ie book online 1 to 7 nights, more than that a message shows "Call to make this reservation"
It is not the # of nights as you caught that immediately, but taking the rooms out of inventory that could be the big loss there..
Joey Bloggs said:
Not sure if this is adjustable, but you might want to make your online booking availability only UP TO a certain amount of days, ie they can book only so many nights, like up to 7 otherwise they must call. I can't remember if that prgm does that I seem to recall it did. Ie book online 1 to 7 nights, more than that a message shows "Call to make this reservation"
It is not the # of nights as you caught that immediately, but taking the rooms out of inventory that could be the big loss there.
JB the # of days IS a flag and a large one, by limiting the # you reduce one of the flags that raise suspicion. I don't want any days taken out of my availability without a real booking!
And I do not think it would stop them from booking 7 instead of the 14 once they start. There efforts lie after the original booking trying to get money shipped to them. I am sure if I had played this one out, the next step would be for me to charge the card for $XXX more than the amount for the room because they needed it for air fair & other expenses to get them to our place.... All they are after is the amount OVER the room amount so 7,10, 14 days it doesn't matter.
.
copperhead said:
Joey Bloggs said:
Not sure if this is adjustable, but you might want to make your online booking availability only UP TO a certain amount of days, ie they can book only so many nights, like up to 7 otherwise they must call. I can't remember if that prgm does that I seem to recall it did. Ie book online 1 to 7 nights, more than that a message shows "Call to make this reservation"
It is not the # of nights as you caught that immediately, but taking the rooms out of inventory that could be the big loss there.
JB the # of days IS a flag and a large one, by limiting the # you reduce one of the flags that raise suspicion. I don't want any days taken out of my availability without a real booking!
And I do not think it would stop them from booking 7 instead of the 14 once they start. There efforts lie after the original booking trying to get money shipped to them. I am sure if I had played this one out, the next step would be for me to charge the card for $XXX more than the amount for the room because they needed it for air fair & other expenses to get them to our place.... All they are after is the amount OVER the room amount so 7,10, 14 days it doesn't matter.
Seems to me it does matter though, as all of us can attest for whatever reason the 14 days is the minimum they seem to always choose. I hate to talk here in the open should they read this and read what we know. I guess I will just leave it at you know what I know what we all know.
omg_smile.gif

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I've had a few for 10 and 7 days as well, but with the other bells and whistles it sets off the alarm.
 
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