Credit card fraud has run rampant over the years. And if you thought that gas stations, restaurants & shopping malls are the only ones who are victimized by this scam, think again. Even hotels – with their tight security & all -fall prey to this fraudulent act. Now while some of us may think that the hotels are not on top of these hackers’ hit list, you might want to reconsider that train of thought. Based on a study that was conducted by Trustwave’s SpiderLabs, hotels are subjected to credit card fraud 38 percent of the time. Following them are financial services, retail stores, food chains, business services, technology, education & manufacturing establishments. These results were gathered from a total of 218 investigations, coming from 24 countries. The report also indicated that once the scam has been perpetrated, it takes about 156 days for the victimized establishment to realize that they have been hit.
The sad part here is that, by the time both the hotel & victim realized what has happened, the hackers would miles away reaping on the rewards of their actions. So why do credit card thieves consider hotels to be more enticing of a target than any other types of establishments? Well, for one thing, hotels require you to pay an advance to cover for the rooms & the amenities you plan on using. And since the amount for this fee is not that small, you will be forced to carry a rather huge sum in your person should you decide not to pay using your credit card. Given the risks that come with using a credit card upon booking or checking in into a hotel, one has to wonder: what steps can we take to avoid falling victim to this fraudulent act. Well, luckily, there are a number of ways for us to safely transact using our credit cards. Take some of the tips below. First, avoid giving out your credit card information to a stranger or a dubious web site. Nowadays, hotels allow bookings to be done via the Internet or over the phone. So make sure that the site you are visiting online or the number you just dialed are the legitimate contact information of the hotel you plan on staying with. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3752293
