The "matrix" of scams perpetrated by fraudsters to steal hotel deposits.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Representatives of accommodation businesses in Nha Trang city said that fraudsters not only steal a few million dong in hotel room deposits but also lure victims into new forms of scams.

On the afternoon of November 11th, in Nha Trang city, the Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Tourism organized a dialogue conference to receive information from tourism businesses for 2024.

Through the conference, many businesses requested that the authorities in Khanh Hoa province promptly address the issue of creating fake hotel fanpages to scam and steal room deposits from customers.

The Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Tourism organized a dialogue conference to receive information from tourism businesses in 2024 (Photo: Trung Thi).

According to a representative of a large hotel in Nha Trang city, statistics show that so far, 15 large accommodation establishments in the city have had fake fan pages created by malicious individuals.

"My hotel alone has had 5 fake websites, through which 5 guests were scammed out of 2-5 million VND each. The scammers' methods are very sophisticated. Even more dangerous is that these scammers are luring customers from one scam to another," the hotel representative stated.

These fake pages are heavily advertised by scammers on social media platforms, targeting many potential tourists interested in visiting Nha Trang.

According to statistics from the Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Tourism, to date, 15 hotels and resorts in the province have had their fanpages impersonated (Photo: Trung Thi).

When contacted, the scammer will offer better promotional deals than the real hotel and request a deposit from the victim. The deposit amount is usually around 50-70% of the room rate quoted by the scammer.

Not stopping there, after the victim transferred the money, the scammer informed the customer that the hotel's system was down, forcing them to transfer money a second time.

"After receiving the second payment, the scammer sends the victim a link. Through this link, they instruct the victim to click and contact the hotel's accountant to receive a refund. If the customer is not careful and follows the instructions, they may lose confidential information in their bank account and all their money," a representative from a hotel in Nha Trang city said.

Due to the seriousness of the incident, hotel owners in Nha Trang City are requesting that the authorities in Khanh Hoa Province promptly resolve this issue. The aim is to prevent these scammers from damaging the image of Nha Trang's tourism.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Le Thanh, Director of the Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Tourism, said that regarding the hotel deposit fraud case, the department has transferred the file to the Khanh Hoa Provincial Police for handling and investigation according to their jurisdiction.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Le Thanh stated that the case of impersonating a fanpage to scam money from tourists has been transferred to the police for investigation (Photo: Trung Thi).

According to Ms. Thanh, the Department has recently intensified its communication efforts to warn about this new form of fraud. Through this, they hope tourists will remain vigilant and avoid falling into the traps of these scammers.

For hotel businesses, Ms. Thanh suggested they proactively provide additional warnings to customers. Furthermore, upon discovering any fake websites, they should immediately report them to the Provincial Department of Information and Communications for appropriate action.

According to the Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Tourism, as of October, the total number of tourists served by accommodation establishments was estimated at 9.5 million, an increase of over 55% compared to the same period in 2023. Of these, international tourists accounted for over 3.8 million, and domestic tourists for 5.6 million; total revenue from tourism was estimated at over 47,000 billion VND.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/ma-tran-lua-dao-cua-ke-gian-tu-viec-chiem-doat-tien-dat-coc-khach-san-20241111200234062.htm