A Warning to Disney Resort Guests

BlackMagicWoman

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 19, 2013
Hi all,

I'm at the Polynesian now and someone called my cousin in her room pretending to be the front desk and attempting to get her to divulge her credit card number. The only thing that stopped her was that she heard a recording say it was from a jail in the middle of the conversation so she hung up. I just wanted to make other people aware.
 
Thanks for the heads up & glad that your sister figured out she was being scammed. Wonder if the caller was hoping to use the credit card number to post bail. Never give important info. over the phone to anyone who calls no matter who they say they are.
 
Thanks for the heads up. Too bad there are people out there scamming but it happens. Glad your sister knew it was something was fishy. I never give ouit my credit card to anyone unless I placed the call & then it depends on who it is <smiles>
 


Can't say I'm the most experienced hotel guest, but I thought someone calling from outside a hotel phone system would not be put through to a specific room at a hotel without stating both the hotel guest's name and their room number. How would someone, assumed to be a stranger in jail, get that info?

If calling from within hotel property, either calling room-to-room or using a courtesy phone, is there a direct connection to a guest's room or does one have to go thru a phone operator and state the name and room #? I'm just wondering how hotel guests are made secure from contact with strangers with criminal motives.
 
I was at a non- Disney resort in Orlando for work recently, and at check-in, the front desk warned about this. I'm guessing it's a common scam in Orlando right now. (Maybe printing/distributing bogus pizza menus got too costly)
 
Can't say I'm the most experienced hotel guest, but I thought someone calling from outside a hotel phone system would not be put through to a specific room at a hotel without stating both the hotel guest's name and their room number. How would someone, assumed to be a stranger in jail, get that info?

If calling from within hotel property, either calling room-to-room or using a courtesy phone, is there a direct connection to a guest's room or does one have to go thru a phone operator and state the name and room #? I'm just wondering how hotel guests are made secure from contact with strangers with criminal motives.

I think it depends on the policy of the individual hotel. I think a lot of times if you call and say "put me through to room 305" they will do just that. On the other hand, if you call and say "What room is John Smith staying in?", you will get stonewalled. Also, while I generally think WDW employees are honest, that doesn't mean someone couldn't be working with someone in the prison system.
 


Hi all,

I'm at the Polynesian now and someone called my cousin in her room pretending to be the front desk and attempting to get her to divulge her credit card number. The only thing that stopped her was that she heard a recording say it was from a jail in the middle of the conversation so she hung up. I just wanted to make other people aware.
I hope you've reported this to the hotel. Stop by the front desk and talk to somebody there about the incident. Disney security will want to get some info about it to relay to law enforcement.
 
Can't say I'm the most experienced hotel guest, but I thought someone calling from outside a hotel phone system would not be put through to a specific room at a hotel without stating both the hotel guest's name and their room number. How would someone, assumed to be a stranger in jail, get that info?

If calling from within hotel property, either calling room-to-room or using a courtesy phone, is there a direct connection to a guest's room or does one have to go thru a phone operator and state the name and room #? I'm just wondering how hotel guests are made secure from contact with strangers with criminal motives.
There is usually no need for a caller to know your room number. Simply asking to be connected to John Smith's room is all that is needed. The hotel operator then looks to see what room John Smith is in and connects your call, without telling you the room number.

If you were to use a house phone to call somebody in their room, if you knew the room number you can just dial it directly. Otherwise you call the hotel operator and ask to be connected.
 
There are so many scams out there.......you have to be so careful, everywhere. My Wife and I just changed Doctors, as our long time family Doc retired. The new Doctor seems great and then we got telephone message, saying to open a *portal* for his practice, part of this required a credit card. We called the next day and said no way or how! The DOC WAS ON THE phone later that day and told us it would not be required.

My point was...what if this was a scam?......there are a lot of older folks that could have easily given out private info.

AKK
 
Thanks for the heads up! We're taking the in-laws with us to Disney next month, so I will be sure to warn them. I could see my MIL giving them her credit card info if she thought something was wrong. I'm glad your cousin didn't fall for it.
 
Scams like this are, unfortunately, common. It is really just a real world version of phishing with a little social engineering thrown in to sell it. Using the same defenses you do when you receive a phishing email is a good place to start. Question everything that isn't solicited and use a different channel then the solicitation to provide any sensitive information. In an email I'd say don't click on any links to log in. Instead close the email and go directly to the site of the institution that allegedly sent the email and then log in. In a situation like this either hang up and call the front desk back or walk down there to verify that they are really the ones asking for any information you question.

It is unfortunate you have to think like this but you do and you always have to be "on", even at Disney.
 
On a similar note, in recent visits to AKL , upon returning from the parks we found pizza menus under our door in the room. We were also warned that this too is a scam. It is not a pizzeria at all, but a scam to get your credit card number when you think you are ordering a pizza! It's a shame how many victims they must get, under the guise of a cheap meal at Disney.
 
On a similar note, in recent visits to AKL , upon returning from the parks we found pizza menus under our door in the room. We were also warned that this too is a scam. It is not a pizzeria at all, but a scam to get your credit card number when you think you are ordering a pizza! It's a shame how many victims they must get, under the guise of a cheap meal at Disney.
Wow! I've seen pizza menus under the door, but never considered that this could be a scam. Great to know!
 
I was at a non- Disney resort in Orlando for work recently, and at check-in, the front desk warned about this. I'm guessing it's a common scam in Orlando right now. (Maybe printing/distributing bogus pizza menus got too costly)

They are saving the pizza flyers for apartments in the area. I get an email at least once a month about the same pizza-scam people being kicked off property. You'd think they would at least change their name every once in a while
 
I hate deceptive people and scammers. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
 
Can't say I'm the most experienced hotel guest, but I thought someone calling from outside a hotel phone system would not be put through to a specific room at a hotel without stating both the hotel guest's name and their room number. How would someone, assumed to be a stranger in jail, get that info?

If calling from within hotel property, either calling room-to-room or using a courtesy phone, is there a direct connection to a guest's room or does one have to go thru a phone operator and state the name and room #? I'm just wondering how hotel guests are made secure from contact with strangers with criminal motives.

Not sure about each of these, but can say that when we were at the CR in 2011, we were woken up twice around 2 am by prank calls from what sounded like teenagers. We had seen a number of them staying at CR (we assumed senior trips), so assumed they were just randomly dialing room numbers from their room phone. Had to unplug the phone :sad2:
 
I have had someone call my room and try that at a Holiday Inn. As soon as I mentioned that I would go to the desk but not give info over the phone the person hung up.
 

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