Police Warn of Hotel Scam
The Jackson Police Department says it has recently been receiving reports from several local hotels of a subject calling guests and impersonating hotel staff in an attempt to gain credit card information. Lieutenant Cole Nethercott says generally, the caller asks for a guestby name or room number and is transferred to their extension. Once the guest answers the phone, the caller suggests the hotel’s computer has crashed and requests credit card information, sometimes telling the guest that they will receive a discounted room rate due to the inconvenience. Fortunately, he says no losses from this scam have been reported to police as yet. Nethercott discourages ever giving credit card or personal information to anyone over the telephone, and he urges the local hotels to share this information with guests about the scam in efforts to prevent fraud. Guests should be advised that any needed information will be taken at the time of check-in, in person, by hotel staff.
