Taking advantage of the increasing tourism and resort demand of people, subjects have created fake accounts or Facebook fanpages for hotels, guesthouses, homestays, resorts and accommodation establishments.
After creating a page, the subjects run advertisements or post articles in travel groups to approach people who need to book rooms. When customers contact, they enthusiastically advise, offer prices lower than the market price along with attractive promotions and incentives.
When customers agree to book a room, the subjects request a transfer from 30% to 100% of the room value. Some cases are also required to transfer more money under the pretext of verifying transactions, activating room booking codes, paying insurance premiums or carrying out refund procedures. After receiving the money, the subjects cut off contact, block Facebook, Zalo accounts or continue to give many reasons to ask victims to transfer more money.
Nghi Son Ward Police, Thanh Hoa recommends that people only book rooms through official websites, fanpages or reputable booking platforms. Before transacting, it is necessary to check the fanpage creation time, customer reviews, phone numbers, addresses and contact information.
People should not trust unusual discount programs or request urgent transfers. Before making a deposit, they need to call the phone number announced on the official website of the accommodation establishment for verification.
Room booking money should only be transferred to an account in the name of a business establishment or an individual that has been certified by the establishment. People need to keep invoices, transfer documents and the entire content of the exchange to serve verification when necessary.
The police agency also reminds people to absolutely not provide OTP codes, bank passwords, account information; do not access links or install applications as requested by strangers.
When detecting signs of fraud, people need to stop transactions, immediately contact the bank and report to the nearest police agency for support.
