Bloomer scam

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Mountain Inn

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While we are on the subject of questionable emails (guests quoting/offering their best rates), let me share this recent one with the group. From UK resident planning her holiday. I must admit, I did respond to this one...no special rates...just a rate quote with availability info...because we do get delightful English guests! We have not received any additional email from Ms. Bloomer. I am pasting the exact text (in red)of the email inquiry below. One of our local newspapers, the Smoky Mountain News, July 14 - 20 edition, published an article regarding a lodging establishment in a nearby county who took it a bit further with Ms. Bloomer. However, he didn't send her any money back. See more at this link:
http://www.smokymountainnews.com/index.php/component/k2/item/273-scam-targets-hotel-owners
Hello,
My name is Nicole Bloomer; I got your details from the North Carolina
tourism directory and would like to rent a Room or Apartment. I will be
going on my annual leave on the 9th of July & my husband and I will be
coming to North Carolina on holiday for 11 days. We will be staying from
Saturday 10th of July 2010 to Thursday 22nd of July 2010 (Check-in 10th
July - Depart 22nd July).
I would greatly appreciate your thoughts and recommendation on a suitable
accommodation if you have availability for 11 days and the costs for
2persons tax included.
I'm 38 years old and a senior accountant, working with Shell Oil Company
here in the United Kingdom. I look forward to hearing from you, have a
great day and God bless.
Many thanks,
Nicole Bloomer
30, Westfields Avenue,
London, SW13 0AZ
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 790 178 7154
Email: [email protected]
 
Do you have online availability or reservations? If so then they should never send these type emails asking for totals. 11 days is the first red flag.
 
Sorry you wasted your time on that one....scam from the word go. That story just goes to prove it. Why are people so gullible? Don't these people/companies ever listen to the news?
 
Anytime someone tells you all those personal details it's a scam. Plain and simple.
 
Do you have online availability or reservations? If so then they should never send these type emails asking for totals. 11 days is the first red flag..
Joey Bloggs said:
Do you have online availability or reservations? If so then they should never send these type emails asking for totals. 11 days is the first red flag.
I get real people doing this all the time. The do not use the calendar, for whatever reason. I know it's not because they can't FIND a link to the calendar.
However, generally the longer the stay, the more suspicious I get.
I've had a wonderful email correspondence this past week with 2 different sets of overseas travelers looking for info. EACH time I sent them to the calendar to check their dates and prices and EACH time they emailed back with another set of dates.
And, yes, they did book online at last. But not first. First they emailed. I am still nowhere near your online booking rate. Still well under 50% here.
 
Do you have online availability or reservations? If so then they should never send these type emails asking for totals. 11 days is the first red flag..
Yes, we have online reservations. Our English guests do usually stay about 5 or 6 days.
 
I also get both, the real people and the scammers doing this all the time. Wanting information from me via email, rather than simply looking at my online availability.
Why are we gullible? We want to serve the English guest and we want to believe it is sincere. We would not dream of stealing from people and an 11 night reservation is, generally a great thing.
Awareness is crucial for all of us.
 
11 is double your normal stay then. I figure anyone mentioning more than one week is worth weighing carefully, not many stay more than a week.
 
I also get both, the real people and the scammers doing this all the time. Wanting information from me via email, rather than simply looking at my online availability.
Why are we gullible? We want to serve the English guest and we want to believe it is sincere. We would not dream of stealing from people and an 11 night reservation is, generally a great thing.
Awareness is crucial for all of us..
If 11 nights is your normal stay..then more power to you...this kind of inquiry is usually always a SCAM.
 
we get 3 regular things the first is 6 priests, the next 3 honeymooning couples (who honeymoons with other people?) and the 3rd and latest is 6 FIFA officials in connection with the next world cup which may be comming to the UK. I have a nice place but I don't think FIFA officials are looking to stay with me in my B&B in Harrogate!
 
we get 3 regular things the first is 6 priests, the next 3 honeymooning couples (who honeymoons with other people?) and the 3rd and latest is 6 FIFA officials in connection with the next world cup which may be comming to the UK. I have a nice place but I don't think FIFA officials are looking to stay with me in my B&B in Harrogate!.
Only 3 honeymooning couples? We usually get 6!
On a side note...my daughter went to Japan for a wedding and after the wedding ceremony, all of the groom's friends from the US went with them on the honeymoon. My daughter said they had a blast. It was the bride couple and 7-8 friends. Opportunity of a lifetime my daughter said. She would never have been able to go to the places she did or get around so easily without the Japanese couple she went with.
 
The red flag to me was the length of the stay. I'm not saying that you don't have a great town, but 11 days in one place on holiday from overseas? hmmm.... My overseas guests like that were usually driving and wanted to only stay several days in one spot. How many real requests have you gotten for that length of stay? The only ones I got were for visiting professors or artists to our local university or museum and someone from the school always called me.
Delete delete delete.....
 
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