A woman visiting a Myrtle Beach resort recently report a scam in which her credit card was charged close to $2,000 – in California!

The scam is neither new nor localized. In 2015 a Memphis hotel guest fell for the same scam and soon discovered $1,000 in unauthorized charges on his card.

Information, Please

The scam is simple. The scammer calls the hotel room and identifies themselves as “so and so and the front desk.” He or she goes on to explain that the hotel’s credit card system has crashed or that there was a minor problem with their credit card when they registered. All they need is to read your credit card information to them again over the phone.

The problem is that the call did not originate at the front desk. In fact, it could originate from nearly anywhere, as long as the caller sounds sincere.

Don’t Think You’d Fall for That? Think Again.

What if you were doing research on the internet and a window pops up on a website indicating that the information you want is a “secure file” or “protected document?” It’s not a problem. All you need to do is provide the requested personal information and you will be given access to the file.

Same scam. Different playground. Fooled you! Whether it is done on the phone or on the internet, the scammers are phishing, and you have taken the bait, hook, line, and sinker.

Be Smarter Than the Scammers

A simple rule: Never give out your personal information. The tighter you hold onto it, the less likely it is to be stolen.

A simple question: Was your information really stolen? Or, did you voluntarily give it away.

A simple strategy: THINK before you give out your personal information. It’s nice to be nice and cooperative, but it’s stupid to be stupid and cooperative.

A simple precaution: If you receive an email that asks you to view a secure or protected document by clicking a link, delete the email. Do not open. Do not pass Go. Do not lose $200.00 (or more).

For more information, please call Tech Sentries at 843-282-2222.