Many hotels in Quang Binh are being impersonated for fraudulent purposes.

(QBĐT) - Recently, there has been a surge in hotel and tourism establishment fraud in the province, with scammers impersonating hotels and tourism businesses to commit fraud. Using common methods such as stealing images and information and creating fan pages identical to the "official" ones, these fraudsters have tricked several people, causing economic losses and confusion for tourists, and impacting tourism businesses in the area.

Sophisticated tactics

Mr. Le The Duy Hoang, Managing Director of Poseido Hotel Quang Binh , located on Truong Phap Street, Dong Hoi City, said that recently, the hotel received calls from several customers reporting that after transferring money for room reservations via the fanpage named Poseido Hotel Quang Binh, they were blocked and unable to contact the hotel. After investigating and verifying the customers' transaction information, it was discovered that the hotel's fanpage had been impersonated, and due to carelessness and a lack of thorough research, the customers had transferred money to the scammers.

“Along with stealing hotel images and information and creating identical-looking fan pages, these individuals entice tourists to book rooms with unusually cheap promotional offers and services. This makes it easy for some customers to fall into the scam. After customers transfer the deposit, these individuals block communication and disappear. As soon as we detected this impersonation, we promptly posted information advising customers to be vigilant and carefully check information before transferring money to book rooms. We also collected relevant information and reported the fraudulent activities of these individuals to the police, and reported the fake Facebook page to Facebook for timely action,” added Mr. Le The Duy Hoang.

Poseido Hotel Quang Binh has issued a warning on its fanpage about individuals impersonating the hotel to scam customers.

Similarly, the Len Chua Ecostay tourist area in Xuan Trach commune (Bo Trach district) has also been impersonated by fraudsters. Mr. Nguyen Truong Thinh, manager of Len Chua Ecostay, said: "Using the same method of stealing images and information and creating fan pages, these individuals advise customers in a very professional manner. Therefore, if tourists are not careful and vigilant, they can easily fall into the trap."

In order to gather sufficient information and evidence of the scammer to report to the police, I carefully reviewed and contacted the fake fanpage directly. After exchanging messages and agreeing on a room reservation, I intentionally asked for their phone number to add them on Zalo, but they requested contact only through the fanpage. Given this situation, we promptly updated information about the scam and used multiple channels to warn customers, especially during the peak tourist season.

Several other hotels and resorts, such as Melia Vinpearl, Bang Onsen, and Sam, have also faced similar situations, significantly impacting tourists and the operations of tourism businesses. Using sophisticated tactics, the perpetrators targeted newly opened hotels and accommodations with limited information, images, likes, and interactions on their fan pages, making them difficult for customers to identify.

What can be done to prevent this?

In order to prevent and minimize damage to tourists and protect the reputation of businesses, hotels, resorts, and tourism businesses have been proactively gathering and updating information, promptly detecting fake fan pages to warn customers and report to the police.

"We will try to share our information on all social media platforms, connect with and advise customers regularly; at the same time, we hope that customers will increase their vigilance and equip themselves with the necessary skills when conducting online transactions to avoid falling into the traps of scammers," shared Mr. Le The Duy Hoang.

Scammers steal images and information, create fan pages, and offer very professional advice, causing many people to fall into their trap.

Regarding this issue, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Dang Dong Ha, stated: “After gathering information about the individuals and methods used to impersonate hotels and tourism establishments to commit fraud, the department conducted checks and verified the information to promptly implement preventative measures. In the coming time, the department's professional divisions will strengthen their efforts to monitor the situation and the tactics of fraudsters, closely coordinating with the police, media, and accommodation establishments… to regularly update, disseminate, and warn against such activities in order to prevent losses for tourists and build a safe and friendly tourism environment in Quang Binh.”

Hotels, accommodation establishments, and individuals who are victims of online fraud or impersonation should promptly report the incident to: Foreign Security Department, Quang Binh Provincial Police, No. 1, Hung Vuong Street, Dong Hoi City; telephone number for receiving reports: 0856.883.889.

On the police side, Colonel Nguyen Thanh Liem, Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee and Director of the Provincial Police, affirmed: This is a fairly common form of online fraud, and as soon as it appeared in the province in early April, the Provincial Police immediately detected and warned about it. Furthermore, when discovering that they have been impersonated to commit fraud, hotels and tourist establishments should proactively notify the police so that relevant departments can monitor, handle, prevent, and warn against it, ensuring the safety of tourists during the start of the new tourist season. For the public, to avoid falling into the traps of fraudsters, it is necessary to equip themselves with essential skills when conducting online transactions, carefully check information, and verify it directly via phone, especially when making bank transfers.

The Director of the Provincial Police also advised that, along with the currently prevalent tactic of impersonating hotel and accommodation fan pages to commit fraud, depending on the time, fraudsters will study and understand the trends and psychology of people to create suitable "scenarios". Therefore, it is essential for each citizen to always be vigilant, update and equip themselves with the necessary knowledge and skills when participating in online transactions to ensure their own safety and prevent and neutralize the fraudulent activities of these individuals. When being scammed, citizens should proactively and actively cooperate with the police to investigate and strictly handle violations according to the law, working together to build a safe and healthy online environment.

Ngoc Mai

Source: https://www.baoquangbinh.vn/phap-luat/202504/nhieu-khach-san-tai-quang-binh-bi-mao-danh-de-lua-dao-2225604/