could this be credit card fraud?

[Sunshine]

This does not feel right!
Ok, so I had a guest book a wedding for Sept.but didn't have the deposit and said she would call the next day with the cc #. She did. The card was declined.
She called with a new credit card # and it went through.
She called again and said the wedding was off but they still wanted the room for 2 nights and could they have them this week? I said yes, and applied the deposit towards the room.
They are checking into day adn I have tons going on. So I ran the credit card for the balance. It was declined. I tried to call, no answer and no answering machine. She called me later and I told her the card was declined to bring cash with her. She said, oh, I have a new card and proceeded to give me the #.
I told her I'd wait til she arrived to run it. I want to see the card and her ID. She said, oh, well you might want to run it now because it might not go through later.
TOO BAD... I'm not running it without seeing it. Does it seem weird to you all?

 

[Generic]

Yes, that is someone testing stolen cards. You will get a CB (chargeback) for the card that went through. Take the number and call in a CODE-10 and ask them to go to a level 2 verification. At level 1 it is an all-or-nothing verification, if anything doesn't match they can tell you. At level 2 they can tell you WHAT failed, not just all-or-nothing.
This is one of the reasons that we like Chip & PIN, because it's really hard to fake.... signature is easy because so many people don't sign their card. We ask for card-in-hand and don't accept CNP transactions for the whole amount. Too risky.

 

[Morticia]

Definitely call your processor. You don't want to get stuck with giving scammers a free stay!

 

[Sunshine]

I will definitely call! They said they don't plan to check in til about 8 pm.
We have a plan. ... My hubby will take them out and show them the gardens and talk about the history etc... while I make the call. They will feed the fish etc..
If the card is stolen and I'm calling the police, I'll close the back door curtain. Then he'l know to be careful.
I hate this kind of stuff. I'm actually hoping they are just really bad at managing their money, and I don't usually wish that on anyone!!

 

[2cat_lady]

Holding my breath

 

[Generic]

I will definitely call! They said they don't plan to check in til about 8 pm.
We have a plan. ... My hubby will take them out and show them the gardens and talk about the history etc... while I make the call. They will feed the fish etc..
If the card is stolen and I'm calling the police, I'll close the back door curtain. Then he'l know to be careful.
I hate this kind of stuff. I'm actually hoping they are just really bad at managing their money, and I don't usually wish that on anyone!!.

Just tell them it's a CODE 10 when you call, they will know how to handle it.

 

[Sunshine]

I will definitely call! They said they don't plan to check in til about 8 pm.
We have a plan. ... My hubby will take them out and show them the gardens and talk about the history etc... while I make the call. They will feed the fish etc..
If the card is stolen and I'm calling the police, I'll close the back door curtain. Then he'l know to be careful.
I hate this kind of stuff. I'm actually hoping they are just really bad at managing their money, and I don't usually wish that on anyone!!.

Just tell them it's a CODE 10 when you call, they will know how to handle it.
.

Just tell them it's a CODE 10 when you call, they will know how to handle it.

 

[Audrey Forrest]

Wow I wouldnt take her. I just
had 4 Chinese people who booked rooms thru agent. Their cards (2) were declined and then
after we cancelled it, they had
the audacity to re-book again using the same card!
I also had a guest who left indelible ink on towel which destroyed the set of Turkish towels. I charged her for it and
she threatened to leave a bad
review! I called agent to advise them as they dont approve of
retaliation of that kind. This woman was a spoiled brat!
Interested if any of you have had experience with damage to
property.

 

[Audrey Forrest]

I will definitely call! They said they don't plan to check in til about 8 pm.
We have a plan. ... My hubby will take them out and show them the gardens and talk about the history etc... while I make the call. They will feed the fish etc..
If the card is stolen and I'm calling the police, I'll close the back door curtain. Then he'l know to be careful.
I hate this kind of stuff. I'm actually hoping they are just really bad at managing their money, and I don't usually wish that on anyone!!.

Just tell them it's a CODE 10 when you call, they will know how to handle it.
.

Please explain what is a Code 8?

 

[Sunshine]

Wow I wouldnt take her. I just
had 4 Chinese people who booked rooms thru agent. Their cards (2) were declined and then
after we cancelled it, they had
the audacity to re-book again using the same card!
I also had a guest who left indelible ink on towel which destroyed the set of Turkish towels. I charged her for it and
she threatened to leave a bad
review! I called agent to advise them as they dont approve of
retaliation of that kind. This woman was a spoiled brat!
Interested if any of you have had experience with damage to
property..

I also had a guest who left indelible ink on towel which destroyed the set of Turkish towels. I charged her for it and
she threatened to leave a bad
review! I called agent to advise them as they dont approve of
retaliation of that kind. This woman was a spoiled brat!
Interested if any of you have had experience with damage to
property.

Oh my gosh, sounds EXACTLY like a guest I had the first year! She was out and when she came back she "RAN" up the stairs laughing and giggling and others with her. I couldn't tell for sure if it was "Just" her husband with her, so I didn't do anything... until other guests started complaining about the noise coming from their room. I went up to remind her of the quiet time and before I could knock on the door, I heard, "wait, let me pay you before you go". I couldn't believe it. I knocked on the door and she opened it just a crack so I couldn't see in. I reminded her of the quiet time and then asked if there was anyone else in her room. Oh my gosh, I just invited the wrath from you know where! BUT she just quietly said, no, just my husband.
The next day she was at breakfast and acting like nothing happened. The other guests didn't even talk to her. She wrote a nasty note in the guest book (which of course I removed), and she smeared her water proof mascara all over everything, bath towels, sheets etc!

 

[Sunshine]

UNBELIEVEABLE!! I called the number on the back of the card and they said they needed to talk to the card holder. REALLY? I repeated a code 10 and she said, yes, well its after hours, all our office people are gone. I said, so I suspect this as being a stolen card and you want to talk to the people who stole it. She said, well, um yes.
I hung up!! I was so mad!!! The guests ID was legit and matched and the card cleared, so keeping my fingers crossed. (she looked legit).
If I was using a stolen card and someone asked if I was the one who owned the card, of course I'd say yes!

 

[Morticia]

UNBELIEVEABLE!! I called the number on the back of the card and they said they needed to talk to the card holder. REALLY? I repeated a code 10 and she said, yes, well its after hours, all our office people are gone. I said, so I suspect this as being a stolen card and you want to talk to the people who stole it. She said, well, um yes.
I hung up!! I was so mad!!! The guests ID was legit and matched and the card cleared, so keeping my fingers crossed. (she looked legit).
If I was using a stolen card and someone asked if I was the one who owned the card, of course I'd say yes!.

UNBELIEVEABLE!! I called the number on the back of the card and they said they needed to talk to the card holder. REALLY? I repeated a code 10 and she said, yes, well its after hours, all our office people are gone. I said, so I suspect this as being a stolen card and you want to talk to the people who stole it. She said, well, um yes.
I hung up!! I was so mad!!! The guests ID was legit and matched and the card cleared, so keeping my fingers crossed. (she looked legit).
If I was using a stolen card and someone asked if I was the one who owned the card, of course I'd say yes!

They ask questions generally only the legit card holder knows the answers to. She probably thought YOU were the scammer! You know, trying to get info.
I assume you're supposed to call your processor, not the card holders bank.

 

[Morticia]

Wow I wouldnt take her. I just
had 4 Chinese people who booked rooms thru agent. Their cards (2) were declined and then
after we cancelled it, they had
the audacity to re-book again using the same card!
I also had a guest who left indelible ink on towel which destroyed the set of Turkish towels. I charged her for it and
she threatened to leave a bad
review! I called agent to advise them as they dont approve of
retaliation of that kind. This woman was a spoiled brat!
Interested if any of you have had experience with damage to
property..

Interested if any of you have had experience with damage to
property.

You're not supposed to run a guest's card after the fact for damages. Had she fought it she would have won. Your contract with your card processor explains that.
Now, you present the guest with a bill and they sign for the damages that's another story. However, if they tell their bank they felt threatened, you lose again.
Damages to minor items like towels are cost of doing business.
Someone goes on a spree in the room, you call the police and sue them later.

 

[Audrey Forrest]

Wow I wouldnt take her. I just
had 4 Chinese people who booked rooms thru agent. Their cards (2) were declined and then
after we cancelled it, they had
the audacity to re-book again using the same card!
I also had a guest who left indelible ink on towel which destroyed the set of Turkish towels. I charged her for it and
she threatened to leave a bad
review! I called agent to advise them as they dont approve of
retaliation of that kind. This woman was a spoiled brat!
Interested if any of you have had experience with damage to
property..

Interested if any of you have had experience with damage to
property.

You're not supposed to run a guest's card after the fact for damages. Had she fought it she would have won. Your contract with your card processor explains that.
Now, you present the guest with a bill and they sign for the damages that's another story. However, if they tell their bank they felt threatened, you lose again.
Damages to minor items like towels are cost of doing business.
Someone goes on a spree in the room, you call the police and sue them later.
.

She checked out at 5am and I
discovered the damage at 7am.
I was not able to present her
with a bill. If she disputes the
charge so be it, but she may not.
I dont happen to agree that
using indelible ink on a Turkish
Bath Towel set is normal wear and tear. I think she should
pay for it as it broke my set up.
I dont use the cheap white towels like motels.

 

[Audrey Forrest]

I will definitely call! They said they don't plan to check in til about 8 pm.
We have a plan. ... My hubby will take them out and show them the gardens and talk about the history etc... while I make the call. They will feed the fish etc..
If the card is stolen and I'm calling the police, I'll close the back door curtain. Then he'l know to be careful.
I hate this kind of stuff. I'm actually hoping they are just really bad at managing their money, and I don't usually wish that on anyone!!.

Sunshine I read your comments about your son. It could be that
the B&B rented the room out to
people who paid a higher price.
This is common in the B&B industry in California! For
example, regular prices get
TRIPLED in July because of
so many conventions, weddings,
etc. so a booking that could have been made several months ago at a lower rate is now no longer attractive to the B&B property.
It sounds awful, and it is, but
that is the real world depending on how popular the location is.
He was fortunate in finding another place and they were probably too busy to bother to
help him. Putting out stuff on
Social Media is a complete waste of time but helps the injured party. Those B&B could care less about Social Media because they dont get bookings thru it.
Just thought I'd explain.

 

[Generic]

UNBELIEVEABLE!! I called the number on the back of the card and they said they needed to talk to the card holder. REALLY? I repeated a code 10 and she said, yes, well its after hours, all our office people are gone. I said, so I suspect this as being a stolen card and you want to talk to the people who stole it. She said, well, um yes.
I hung up!! I was so mad!!! The guests ID was legit and matched and the card cleared, so keeping my fingers crossed. (she looked legit).
If I was using a stolen card and someone asked if I was the one who owned the card, of course I'd say yes!.

You are supposed to call your processor with the Code 10, they have a series of Yes and No questions you can answer so the customer doesn't know what's happening and they can connect you with security at the other bank. The phone number at the other bank isn't security, but actually customer service. Did they transfer you to security?

 

[Generic]

I will definitely call! They said they don't plan to check in til about 8 pm.
We have a plan. ... My hubby will take them out and show them the gardens and talk about the history etc... while I make the call. They will feed the fish etc..
If the card is stolen and I'm calling the police, I'll close the back door curtain. Then he'l know to be careful.
I hate this kind of stuff. I'm actually hoping they are just really bad at managing their money, and I don't usually wish that on anyone!!.

Just tell them it's a CODE 10 when you call, they will know how to handle it.
.

Please explain what is a Code 8?
.

Code 10 is what you say when you have a suspicious transaction. The authorization centre then starts to ask Yes/No questions to help determine if it's a legitimate transaction, if you need to talk to the other cards security department or even call the cops for you.

 

[Jcam]

I will definitely call! They said they don't plan to check in til about 8 pm.
We have a plan. ... My hubby will take them out and show them the gardens and talk about the history etc... while I make the call. They will feed the fish etc..
If the card is stolen and I'm calling the police, I'll close the back door curtain. Then he'l know to be careful.
I hate this kind of stuff. I'm actually hoping they are just really bad at managing their money, and I don't usually wish that on anyone!!.

Sunshine I read your comments about your son. It could be that
the B&B rented the room out to
people who paid a higher price.
This is common in the B&B industry in California! For
example, regular prices get
TRIPLED in July because of
so many conventions, weddings,
etc. so a booking that could have been made several months ago at a lower rate is now no longer attractive to the B&B property.
It sounds awful, and it is, but
that is the real world depending on how popular the location is.
He was fortunate in finding another place and they were probably too busy to bother to
help him. Putting out stuff on
Social Media is a complete waste of time but helps the injured party. Those B&B could care less about Social Media because they dont get bookings thru it.
Just thought I'd explain.
.

We had a BB locally who were jiggers for this if say they had an enquiry for a 3 night booking with a night blocking it they would book out the 1 night.

 

[BananaE29]

Wow I wouldnt take her. I just
had 4 Chinese people who booked rooms thru agent. Their cards (2) were declined and then
after we cancelled it, they had
the audacity to re-book again using the same card!
I also had a guest who left indelible ink on towel which destroyed the set of Turkish towels. I charged her for it and
she threatened to leave a bad
review! I called agent to advise them as they dont approve of
retaliation of that kind. This woman was a spoiled brat!
Interested if any of you have had experience with damage to
property..

Interested if any of you have had experience with damage to
property.

Yes, and I lost the dispute for the damages plus the $20 charge for the credit card company to investigate. You won't win. It's not worth the hassle - I don't care if your towels were $3 each or $30 each. You won't win. I even had a disclaimer on the registration form that guests sign agreeing to pay for any "damage to linens or other property due to negligence or unintended acts". You won't win.

 

[Generic]

Wow I wouldnt take her. I just
had 4 Chinese people who booked rooms thru agent. Their cards (2) were declined and then
after we cancelled it, they had
the audacity to re-book again using the same card!
I also had a guest who left indelible ink on towel which destroyed the set of Turkish towels. I charged her for it and
she threatened to leave a bad
review! I called agent to advise them as they dont approve of
retaliation of that kind. This woman was a spoiled brat!
Interested if any of you have had experience with damage to
property..

Interested if any of you have had experience with damage to
property.

Yes, and I lost the dispute for the damages plus the $20 charge for the credit card company to investigate. You won't win. It's not worth the hassle - I don't care if your towels were $3 each or $30 each. You won't win. I even had a disclaimer on the registration form that guests sign agreeing to pay for any "damage to linens or other property due to negligence or unintended acts". You won't win.
.

It specifically says so in the merchant agreement that you can't process for damages unless they have agreed to the charge.
I was at a hotel that was prepaid and yet they went to do an auth for $100 for security. Told them that they are violating their merchant agreement if they do charge. They looked at me like I was from mars. But if you look up on Visa and MC for the hospitality guides it clearly says you can't.
Most people who charge a deposit don't realize they also need an agreement to take deposits as well. It's a quick formality, but most don't bother to do it.