A scammer sits, posing as the Ritz
Not quite the original song lyric but scammers appear to have targeted customers of London’s Ritz Hotel by contacting customers and asking to double check payment details.
The BBC article can be found here – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-53793922
A worrying detail here is that the scammers had an amount of information to hand to make the approach, including contact and booking details. It emphasises the same point which I often make regarding suspect emails – be sceptical until you have sufficient proof to to the contrary. The question here is, what amounts to sufficient proof? The call purportedly came from the correct number, the caller had details to hand – I can easily see how one could be duped in such circumstances.
The only guaranteed protection here is to not confirm anything within the course of the call received. Make your own phone call to the establishment in question using a number you can verify independently, and seek further qualification of the approach you have received. It may take longer if the call was genuine, but is infinitely better than handing out personal and financial details.
For help and advice spotting scams and phishing emails you can contact us on hi.vci@vcisystems.com or call 0118 9767111.
