Avoid being the victim of a credit/debit card fraud while away for business

Business travel, meetings and event specialist Capita Travel and Events is aware of a credit card scam in which fraudsters target hotel guests. Here, its Head of Information Security tells you how to avoid becoming a victim.

When you arrive to check in to a hotel, you sometimes provide a card to guarantee the payment of any incidental costs not included in your room rate. That’s normal and you shouldn’t ordinarily worry. But fraudsters are always looking for ways to dupe us into giving them information.

The scam
After check-in, you receive a telephone call to your room from someone claiming to be from the hotel reception. The person tells you there’s a problem with your card and asks you re-confirm the card number and three-digit security code. As a helpful traveller, you oblige the request. But you’ve just given your card details to a fraudster who called the hotel and used various trickery to get put through to any room.

Avoid becoming the victim
If this happens to you, tell the caller you’ll go to reception to sort out the problem face-to-face. Even if the request turns into a pushy demand for your card details – some fraudsters can be very persuasive – don’t give in. You may be overseas where there’s a language barrier, or you assume its local culture to share details over the telephone. Again, don’t give in.

Never give your card details over the phone unless you initiated the call and are paying for goods/services which you’ve already received, or which you are confident you will receive.

Generally, I’d also encourage everyone to be a little more suspicious and, if things don’t feel right, to query them. Ask yourself if the request is unreasonable or unusual.

Properties want and need to know if their business and/or guests are targeted by fraudsters, so tell the reception team what’s happened.

Think you’ve been scammed?
Contact your bank or card company immediately. These providers will have a 24-hour hotline for cases of suspected fraud.

View the original post here. And if you want experts to help keep your business travellers happy, event delegates buzzing and finance director smiling, contact Capita Travel and Events – 0330 390 0340 or travelevents@capita.co.uk – to chat about how we can manage business travel, meetings and events that get the results you and all of your colleagues need.