One member feared the worst when they received an email from a hotel confirming a booking for a reservation they never made. This member had visited the hotel previously but had not made a booking for the coming weeks. Our members concerns grew when the hotel confirmed that the reservation had been made via a subsidiary of Flight Centre. They feared the booking was at best fraudulent and at worst an attempt at identity theft.
Our members were quick to provide useful and practical advice on the best actions to take to safeguard identity and attempt to prevent any further fraudulent activity.
The first useful tip was to keep a close eye on all credit cards and other account transactions. It was also promoted as a good idea to contact the credit card company to advise them of the concerns and to attempt to put a block on any transactions from the hotels provider. Direct contact with the hotel to cancel the booking and query how the booking was made was also a practical suggestion put forth. The booking agency was also contacted and asked to undertake an investigation into the matter. Our members left no stone unturned in their fight against fraud.
Our member was pleased to report that the feared fraud may have been a case of mistaken (rather than stolen) identity. As our member had previously stayed at the hotel, the booking was erroneously made for a guest with same surname under our members previous account details. It is a valuable lesson for all that it pays to be vigilant.
Follow the discussion HERE.
