Scammers are always coming up with something new. The latest scam that has received attention targets hotel guests. It is not very complicated.

Late at night, asleep in your hotel room, the phone rings. The caller claims to be calling from the hotel front desk. Something is wrong with your credit card; it may be the expiration date or some other problem. But, the bottom line is that they want you to verify your credit card information. Startled and not fully alert, and not willing to go do the desk, you provide all your credit card information. Of course, the person to whom you are speaking is not a hotel employee. It is a scammer.

Once aware of this scam, it is easy to avert. The hotel will not call you in the middle of the night requesting this information. If you get such a call, simply agree to visit the front desk in the morning to straighten it out. Do not offer to walk down to the desk in the middle of the night. You may be getting set up for a robbery and/or assault.

This type of precaution is consistent with other strategies to avoid being victimized by scammers. If someone claiming to be from a credit card company, bank, retailer, etc. calls you and asks for credit card, financial or personal information – for any reason – do not provide it. Take the person’s name and offer to return the call. Do not simply ask for their phone number and call back. Find the number to that establishment on your own and then return the call. Odds are, there is no such person. The same applies to emails. Banks and credit card companies will not send you an email with a link to verify all your information. The emails will state that your account will be closed, or some service will be canceled. Once again, while this is probably a scam, you can assure yourself by independently finding the correct telephone number and calling.

There are many variations of these scams. Be alert. Don’t react emotionally and without thinking things through. And by the way – you didn’t really win $1,000,000 from the international lottery.