Phishing fraud with fake hotel refunds: Styria Workers' Chamber warns
Fraudsters are sending fake emails and WhatsApp messages about allegedly double-charged hotel fees. The Styria Workers' Chamber advises against clicking links and urges victims to report cases to police.
Fake refund messages in circulation – Styria Workers' Chamber sounds alarm
As steiermark.orf.at reports, fraudulent emails and WhatsApp messages are currently circulating claiming to refund allegedly double-charged hotel fees. The Styria Workers' Chamber is expressly warning against this scam.
Bettina Schrittwieser from the consumer protection department of the Styria Workers' Chamber explains why the tactic is particularly insidious: "It can actually be very misleading when you receive such an email or WhatsApp message, because you may well have actually stayed at that hotel or actually booked it." The perpetrators gain access to genuine booking data through hacks on hotels or booking platforms – which makes the fake messages appear credible at first glance.
Indications of fraud are often barely noticeable. Schrittwieser points out that sometimes individual letters in the sender address differ, there may be an error in the booking date or the given address is incorrect. "The fraudsters are getting better all the time, and you have to be very careful," she emphasises.
The fake message typically contains an alleged booking confirmation as a file attachment and a link through which the refund is supposedly to be processed. Schrittwieser is clear in her advice: "Do not follow a link under any circumstances." Anyone wanting to check whether a message actually comes from the hotel or booking platform should contact them directly – not using the contact details provided in the message.
The consumer protection expert also generally recommends never assuming that you will receive unsolicited refunds. Identified cases of fraud should definitely be reported to police – only in this way can action be taken against the perpetrators and further fraudulent attempts be prevented.
Source: Google News AT — Crime (de)