Travel News - Homeless man scammed luxury hotel stays at others' expense

MSNBC: Homeless man scammed luxury hotel stays at others' expense (http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/01/12506510-report-homeless-man-scammed-luxury-hotel-stays-at-others-expense?lite)

Wow - not coo! Another reason to protect your credit/debit cards and personal information when traveling...as well as watch your credit card statements and hotel bills!

A homeless man is accused by police of living the high life in hotels, racking up thousands of dollars on other people’s credit cards, according to a report in Florida.
...

Despite being homeless for two years, he had managed to stay at others’ expense in top hotels including The Ritz Carlton, Hard Rock Hotel and Loews Portofino Bay.

At the latter, Price allegedly racked up nearly $9,000 in charges on the credit card of Ohio man Joseph Barak, WFTV said.

MSNBC: Homeless man scammed luxury hotel stays at others' expense (http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/01/12506510-report-homeless-man-scammed-luxury-hotel-stays-at-others-expense?lite)

Wow - not coo! Another reason to protect your credit/debit cards and personal information when traveling...as well as watch your credit card statements and hotel bills!

Yes, you're absolutely right. They have kept privately and not give out a credit card number. It could be CC fraud. No one ever stealing the credit card from other people. Nobody who will tell you. They have notify the police immediately.

This does not appear to be a case of where he had other peoples' credit cards.

According to the report, "Price would apparently watch hotel guests leave their rooms before slipping inside and claiming to be the guest, calling the front desk and extending the stay, sometimes by 10 days."

I would imagine that later he would go to the front desk, say something along the lines of "I am in Room 712 but I lost my key card. Please give me another."

I have done that more than once (usually I hadn't lost the key cards but simply forgot them in the room) and have never been asked my name, much less been asked to present proof of my identity.

Although I know its a real person, did anyone notice that the guys name is the first name of the President and vice president?

How do you know it's a real person? How do you know any of this story is true? The man could not have done this by himself as described. He would have to have a hotel employee letting him into the rooms right after the guest left. In other words, the scam does not work as described, and he is not the only criminal involved -- IF it happened at all and isn't just another welfare queen/cadillac tall tale. You have to have a master key to the rooms of the hotels in question or else someone in housekeeping/maintenance has to let you in, presumably for a cut of the "take." A homeless guy has an "insider" at ALL of these hotels? Really?

Yeah, whenever I am asking for a spare key I am asked for some ID. No idea what would happen if I wouldnt have one...

How do you know it's a real person? How do you know any of this story is true? The man could not have done this by himself as described. He would have to have a hotel employee letting him into the rooms right after the guest left. In other words, the scam does not work as described, and he is not the only criminal involved -- IF it happened at all and isn't just another welfare queen/cadillac tall tale. You have to have a master key to the rooms of the hotels in question or else someone in housekeeping/maintenance has to let you in, presumably for a cut of the "take." A homeless guy has an "insider" at ALL of these hotels? Really?

Huh? From the article, the man would wait until the person(s) had left the hotel, then would go pose as them to get access to the room. This would work if the hotel desk folk didn't know everyone's face, which seems quite probably. In that situation, the man wouldn't need an insider at all.

Yeah, whenever I am asking for a spare key I am asked for some ID. No idea what would happen if I wouldnt have one...

I stated at a Radisson near LHR Thursday night. A man next to me at the desk did not have his key. When he said he did not have ID, the agent said anything with his name printed on it would be fine.

On a side story I know a homeless man who is Hyatt Diamond member do to his generous and famous brother who pays his hotel bills..

I was with my wife at at a Hyatt resort and said to my wife "do you see that bare foot homeless guy" taking all the food and she replied that is xxxxx. I then went up to mr.homeless man and had a long and interesting conversation as he told me about all his suite upgrades, etc. He invited me up to the presidential suite but we had other plans.

How do you know it's a real person? How do you know any of this story is true? The man could not have done this by himself as described. He would have to have a hotel employee letting him into the rooms right after the guest left. In other words, the scam does not work as described, and he is not the only criminal involved -- IF it happened at all and isn't just another welfare queen/cadillac tall tale. You have to have a master key to the rooms of the hotels in question or else someone in housekeeping/maintenance has to let you in, presumably for a cut of the "take." A homeless guy has an "insider" at ALL of these hotels? Really?

Hotel housekeeping and/or front-desk staff can be unwitting enablers of such a scam.

Once checked into a hotel, it becomes even easier for this kind of scam to work and perpetuate itself for quote some time by way of fraudulent misrepresentation in-person or on-the-phone or online.

Yeah, whenever I am asking for a spare key I am asked for some ID. No idea what would happen if I wouldnt have one...

Could be one of many things including: asking for details of/in the hotel booking (rate, address, phone number, email, etc.), questions about what is in the room and then an escort to the room to verify the details communicated are accurate, including perhaps details about the bags remaining in the room.

Sounds like an inside job.

Here's how it might work. The guests toss their key card in the trash before leaving because they think it expires automatically. They also don't stop at the front desk on the way out because their bill has been paid with the credit card. The maid enters and finds the key card in the trash, she verifies that their account is still open, she calls the homeless guy, he picks up the key and gets the date extended at the front desk.

edit:

I was wrong. They sent up a new key to the room when he asked them to on the phone. Probably not an inside job, just a stupid hotel. :D

http://abcnews.go.com/US/orlando-transient-eyed-luxury-hotel-scams-dating-back/story?id=16696889