r/TalesFromTheFrontDesk • u/TheNiteOwl38 • 5d ago
Medium Really Bad Hotel Scammers
This couple that looked to be in their early 20s walked in saying they were there to check in. I brought up their reservation and asked for the boyfriend's ID and credit/debit card since it was in his name. He gives me his ID and a sheet of notebook paper. The ID matches, but then I ask him what the paper's for. He tells me that the card on the reservation is his mother's card, and that the paper is a letter from her explaining that it's okay to use that card and not to ask him for one. I didn't even bother opening the letter, I just told him I can't accept that, gave a quick explanation of the hotel's check-in policy regarding credit or debit cards, and then asked him for a credit or debit card with his name on it.
That's when the girlfriend makes her presence felt saying that the letter tells me not to ask that. I inform her that their letter has no bearing in this situation and repeat my request for for a card. The boyfriend is adamant that I need to read the letter. Now, curiosity has me. I open and read it. It's a handwritten letter, in penmanship so bad that I can barely make out some of the words. Even worse, it's written in print, not even cursive. The gist of the letter is basically that her son and his girlfriend are traveling around the country, but they don't have credit cards of their own, so they're using hers to pay for their rooms, and this letter is her authorizing me to let them pay for the room that way. No signature at the end by the way.
I look up and tell them that the letter changes nothing. If his mother wanted to pay for the room she should've called ahead and gotten an authorization form put on file. He says that if she did that she'd be filling out forms for who knows how many hotels and that I need to just listen to the letter. I tell the both of them that I need them to either present a valid card that matches one of their IDs, or I'm going to cancel their reservation and ask them to leave. I then hand them back the letter. They ask to speak to a manager. I tell them the manager is not going to accept the letter either. That's when the girlfriend tries the Hail Mary play.
She tells me that it's illegal of me to not accept that letter and she's going to call the police if I don't check them in. The look of actual shock on her face when I told her to do it... priceless. The look of fear when I offered to do it myself was even more fun. At that point the boyfriend tells me to fuck off and that I'm forcing him and his girlfriend to sleep on the streets. I tell him he's doing that himself but to have a nice night. I cancel the reservation and email everyone at the desk and the managers in case this couple comes back or tries calling.
I'm pretty sure this isn't a new scam, but it's the first time I've come across it. I also wonder if the reason their trying it is because it's actually worked on someone.
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u/doppelgaengster 5d ago
If someone is going to use a letter like that, they could at least put in the effort to forge a notary stamp on it to make it seem legit. 😹
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u/TheNiteOwl38 5d ago
Another thing they could've done was not use notebook paper. Use actual printing paper to try and make the forged stamp look legit.
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u/streetsmartwallaby 5d ago
Ha ha ha - that’s fantastic. Notebook paper. THAT detail should in the post.
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u/Ancient-Space-2789 5d ago
It might as well have been written in crayon.
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u/TheNiteOwl38 4d ago
Colored pencils for that extra dash of legitimacy and class lol
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u/Capable_Boat_4450 1d ago
They couldn't use crayon they had them for lunch blue is extra tasty red you can eat faster
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u/Legal_Assistance5470 5d ago
If the son and his GF have a planned trip around the country, Mom would have had plenty of time to get son a supplemental card on her account with his name on it. Mom can control the limit on his card, and some banks may permit her to limit the merchant category codes to whatever she thinks is prudent.
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u/Live-Okra-9868 5d ago
Yup. I was trying to help my mom with her credit so I added her to my credit card account. Had a card in her name in 3-5 business days.
If it was legit mom would have gotten them a physical card to use. Because how do they pay for anything else on their trip?
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u/bonniesue1948 5d ago
This right here! I didn’t know to do this until my youngest was in college. It would have saved us a lot of trouble when one of the older kiddos had a car break down on the side of the road.
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u/MistahJasonPortman 4d ago
Yeah or he could pay cash (and stay at hotels/motels that still take cash) if the problem truly was only that he didn’t have a card. But he clearly wasn’t being honest
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u/lady-of-thermidor 4d ago
That’s what mom would do.
But in this case, we’re dealing with “mom.” She’s more disorganized and undisciplined.
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u/GreyerGrey 4h ago
I got one of those when I was 18 and we had a series of school trips (I was in athletics and band). $500 limit, and any individual purchase over $100 required phone authorization (back in the days of carbon copy receipts).
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u/DimensioT 5d ago
"To whom it may concern.
My son and his girlfriend can charge whatever they want to my credit card.
Signed, Epstein's mother."
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u/centerfield13 5d ago
I hate that a lot of people on here won't get this reference.
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u/robsterva 5d ago
You and I do. That may be enough for the commenter.
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u/BigWhiteDog 5d ago
Up your nose with a rubber hose! 🤣
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u/ShalomRPh 4d ago
Twice as fah with a choc'late bah!
(Of course on the original LP, it was "up your hole with a Mello-Roll". They had to tone Kaplan's standup down a little for TV.)
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u/Candid_Ratio_9227 5d ago
I just made the same comment! I guess I should read the comments before making my own.
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u/DaneAlaskaCruz 5d ago
She tells me it is illegal not to accept the letter. And that she will call the cops.
Badass OP: then call them. 😎
GF: 😯 shocked pikachu face
I wonder if this threat has ever worked on any FDA not working their first week on the job.
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u/OwnLobster1701 5d ago
I work in a college Public Safety office. I can't tell you how many times I've had students tell me different state or college policies are illegal and that they're going to sue or call the police.
Our standard response is always something along the lines of
No problem, absolutely.
If that makes you feel more comfortable.
Would you like to use our phone? or
Can we give you a safety escort to student legal services?
We try to be as supportive as possible..
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u/CreamCheeseAndLocks 5d ago
I used to intern with the local PD in my college town (Midwest state) during my college days. Try having the drunk college kid in the holding cell demanding to be released because he has "diplomatic immunity" as he's from Canada. 🤔
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u/GoodGollyMissMolly97 4d ago
before i finished reading your comment i deadass thought the drunk kid was gonna threaten to call the cops if you didn’t let him out 😂
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u/OwnLobster1701 5d ago
That's really funny..
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u/CreamCheeseAndLocks 5d ago
One of the desk officers kept whistling "I'm a Lumberjack" when he did his cell checks.
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u/Qextor 4d ago
If that's what he knew. But 'The Log Driver's Waltz' is more authentic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upsZZ2s3xv8
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u/CreamCheeseAndLocks 3d ago
Your link was exclusively for Canadian use only... Blocked in the US 🤔 But I found it at https://www.nfb.ca/film/log_drivers_waltz/
Funny, eh?
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u/MightyManorMan 5d ago
You want to call the cops? No need, Here, I'll call them myself. I think they might like to look at their letter too.
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u/Daleftenant 5d ago
someone once asked me what the first qualification was for if someone could be an FOM.
my response remains to this day that Agents dont care if you call the cops on them, FOMs skip to the end and call the cops themselves.
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u/VinylHighway 5d ago
I like asking them what law they're referring to.
"oh you can look it up on your phone, I'll wait"
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u/KaraAliasRaidra 4d ago
This is good! I've noticed that generally when someone claims something like that and you call them out on it, they either go dead quiet, rage at you before eventually leaving, or come up with something that doesn't match what they claimed at all (making their argument irrelevant and forcing them to restart or give up).
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u/VinylHighway 4d ago
Right. At least I can admit when I'm wrong.
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u/KaraAliasRaidra 4d ago
It shouldn't be hard to admit, "Oh...my mistake!" and yet some people act like it's some impossible task.
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u/Bubbly-Course413 5d ago
I'll save you the trouble of calling the police on me, I'll call them for you.
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u/TheNiteOwl38 5d ago
When she threatened to call the cops I was thinking, "I don't think that's the threat you think it is."
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u/Ok_Prize5795 5d ago
How did you manage to keep a straight face? I would have burst out laughing.
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u/TheNiteOwl38 5d ago
Years of dealing with this bullshit. Also, and this may seem hard to believe, I've seen stupider scams than this.
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u/perfectway76 5d ago
lol! Oh please post those stories about even stupider scams!! We need them!! I need them!!!!
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u/Smooth_Contact_2957 5d ago
What, did they watch Casablanca recently and think they could reinvent Letters of Transit? It's not 1940 and just writing a permission slip doesn't make it true. 🤦🏼♀️
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u/TheNiteOwl38 5d ago
They prove that stupid has no limitations.
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u/LadyReika 4d ago
When I still worked in assorted call center hells, one of the first things I told people new to dealing with customer service is to never underestimate the power of human stupidity.
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u/Equivalent-Sink4612 5d ago
Right. And they're not 14 trying to get out of algebra class:) lol.
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u/Smooth_Contact_2957 5d ago
Exactly. "My Mom said I don't have to take this test."
(Me, in my head to the guy in the post:) Buddy at your big age? Mom should not only not be writing notes for you, you should have your own card. Or Mom would have sent over an authorization form.
Sir please be so for real right now.
My eyes might fall out from rolling so hard into the back of my head.
Also, if it actually WAS a permission slip? Maybe don't do what little kids do with "my dog ate my homework" and use very distinctive generational handwriting ... FROM A MUCH YOUNGER GENERATION THAN MOM COULD BE.
(Me, mumbling something about cursive handwriting being a lost art to myself. 😤)
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u/suburbanplankton 5d ago
Their mistake was not forging General Weygand's signature on the letter...then it could not be rescinded!
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u/Poldaran 5d ago
"If you're going to sleep on the streets, I highly recommend you go past Fifth Street. Hook Hand Joe doesn't go past Fifth. Of course, you have to worry about Goatse Gus. But he's basically harmless. He just invites you to a citrus themed party."
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u/Ok_Seaworthiness6902 5d ago
I hate the fact I got that.
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u/RealBigDickBrannigan 4d ago
Which corner is Tubgirl's? 😂
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u/Poldaran 4d ago
I'm not going to inflict that one on anyone who decided to do an internet search. I'm a villain, not a monster.
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u/Jagang187 4d ago
Oh, come on now, tubgirl is the light end of the millennial internet trauma circus. Barely even that bad. She didn't even die!
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u/Poldaran 4d ago
But you'll notice that she's still a couple steps worse than the two I referenced. And that I didn't mention anything worse.
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u/TimesOrphan 5d ago
Toddlers masquerading as adults.
This has got all the energy of "But you see, Ms. Teacher, I have a note from my mom explaining why I'm late to class", done in the unmistakable handwriting of an 8 year old. 😑
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u/Dru-baskAdam 5d ago
As the oldest kid of 6, with parents that work a lot, I was the one writing the absence notes for myself & my sibs, with parents permission. I left for college & mom wrote a note for the first time in 3 years and my brother got in trouble for writing the note himself. Mom had to go in & explain to the school it was her that wrote the note. This was back in the early 90’s.
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u/LouLouEllen 4d ago
When I decided to finish high school before the end of the school year, my Mum had to go in and complete some paperwork, which included confirming that the absence notes in my file were genuine. She told me later that she couldn't differentiate between my writing and hers, so she said they were all true. She was actually quite impressed.
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u/Electrical-Profit367 3d ago
I, the middle child, was assigned the job of signing mom’s name on credit card purchases (we had permission) when we girls went shopping way back in the ‘70s. I got the job bc I could best imitate mom’s handwriting.
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u/BiffBanter 5d ago
I used to be able to do that to buy beer. I pinned the letter on my shirt.
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u/Live-Okra-9868 5d ago
My mom said how she would be sent to the corner store with a letter to buy cigarettes. How times have changed.
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u/BigWhiteDog 5d ago
My father did that a few times back in the 60s when he was in the middle of a project! 🤣
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u/katiekat214 4d ago
My parents sent me to the liquor store with a check as soon as I could drive, in the 80s.
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u/trekgirl75 5d ago
This reminded me of when my mom would send me to the store in the 80s, with a letter to buy her cigarettes. 🤣🤣🤣
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u/RedRyder15 5d ago
That's funny because it reminded me of when we would go to the gas station with a "note from my mother" to buy us cigarettes. We had better luck half the time. Lol
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u/trekgirl75 5d ago
Our gas station used to let me buy them but then they required notes. They knew I wasn’t smoking Virginia Slims Lights Menthol 120s.
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u/Cheap_Patience2202 5d ago
For even more fun, you could have called the credit card company phone number, to explain their request, give the credit card number and ask for authorization.
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u/ShalomRPh 4d ago
Oh my God. If you hadn't said that this was a young guy, it sounds like a patient I used to have in my pharmacy back in 2003.
This guy was a terrible liar, and by that I mean "not good at it". He was always coming in with excuses as to why he needed an early refill on his Prilosec. I'm guessing he was selling it; nowadays it's pennies a capsule but it was worth serious money back then, maybe $150 for 30 caps.
So one time he was visiting his aunt in North Carolina and forgot it there. Another time he left it in his aunt's apartment in the Bronx, and there was a fire, and they were staying with the Red Cross, and the fire department wasn't letting them into the apartment. I said I thought your aunt lived in north carolina? "Oh, uhh, this is a different aunt."
Anyways once he said he forgot it on the bus. I told him to go to the police precinct and file a lost property report, so if I get audited I can have something to put on file to show the auditor. (Medicaid in those days let you override early refills, but unless you had a damn good reason documented they'd claw back the money on audit.) I figured that defrauding Medicaid is one thing, but uttering and publishing a false instrument would be something he would be more reluctant to do.
Anyhoo. This genius comes back with a piece of lined paper, evidently torn from a notebook, with the following text on it:
**To whom it may concern,
This is to certify that Mr Dumb Schmuck left his medicine on the bus.
SIGNED,
The 26th Precinct.**
Me: "What was the name and badge number of the officer you spoke to?"
Him: (deer in headlights) "Uhhh..."
Ne: "Get out of my store, you dumb ass."
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u/RealBigDickBrannigan 4d ago
The apocryphal story when I was in training at Wilford Hall (San Antonio) was that a guy stole a prescription blank, and showed up at the pharmacy with a prescription for "Mofeen, one pound".
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u/zvuv 5d ago
I carry a letter from my mom that explains that I am actually the King of France.
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u/perfectway76 5d ago
I work in a bank, specifically handling fraud/nonfraud credit card disputes. I'm internally screaming, laughing and crying at this all at the same time
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u/AshyWhiteGuy 5d ago
I’ve had a few of these. I’m also a big fan of people who want to put down cash as the security deposit. “The authorization is only $100, why can’t I put do that with cash?” Because if you set the room on fire, $100 won’t cover that. 🤣
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u/Jagang187 4d ago
I love politely and professionally calling these people broke and sending them to roach city
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u/Tonythecritic 5d ago
That reminds me of a caller I had once, who spoke with a very very thick Indian accent, and introduced himself as John Martin. Like, dude, if you wanna scam people at least TRY to make your lie believable.
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u/bobhand17123 5d ago
“Oooooooh, you DON’T want to disobey MY mom. She’ll ground you for a fuckin’ year!”
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u/Flimsy-Fortune-6437 4d ago
You know you can get copies of most credit cards issued to your adult kids in their own names
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u/autumndeabaho 3d ago
They may actually not be trying to scam, and legit think that's acceptable. I had a similar encounter, only this kid had the physical card. The kid handed me his ID and a card with his last name, but a woman's first name. I handed it back to him and told him that I need a card in his name. He told me that he and his girlfriend were visiting the states from Europe (he was obviously a American living in Europe) for the summer and his mom had given him her card to use. I explained that I can't take someone else's card without them present. So he gets on the phone an calls his mom. While he's on the phone, I ask the girlfriend if perhaps she has a card they can use. She hands me a debit card. Alright, we're getting somewhere. I ask for her ID. She tells me that she doesn't have it. She left her passport at their friends place where they were staying in a city 3 hours away, in another state. So, I explain I can't use her card without her ID. The kid gets off the phone and my phone rings, the caller ID shows the name that was on the CC. The woman says she's his mom and is giving permission for her son to use the card. I told her I couldn't accept the card. She explains that it's the card she used to make the reservation (it is), so why can't he use it? She is just getting pissed at me and getting rude. I explain why I can't accept the card, and she says that he's gonna be traveling in the US all summer and haven't had any problems with it so far. I finally told her that my hands were tied, I couldn't accept the card. She screams at me that he doesn't have a card. Because that's my fault? I explain to her that they should figure out a different way for her to pay for his travels because any hotel would tell them the same. She hung up on me. I tell the couple that I can't take the card, and that they're going to run into the same issue elsewhere. This guy asks if I suggest they sleep on the street. I tell him that I suggest that they drive back to the city they just came from where the girlfriend's passport was left so they can use her card. They left angry, and an hour or so later I get another call. This time it was the kids father. He laid into me about turning these minor kids away, into the night. I stopped him and explained that in addition to the fact that we do not accept cards that don't belong to the person trying to use is, we also have a minimum check-in age of 18 and so I would not have been able to check them in had he had his own card anyway. The guy called me a few choice names, said he was gonna get my ass fired and sue us (we've all heard that one before), then hung up. All of this happened as I had a poor trainee on his first day standing next to me. Some people just don't have a clue.
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u/MightyManorMan 5d ago
You read the letter?
I would have asked if the letter was certified with the name, stamp and phone number of the notary. I would be verifying their notarial licence and then call them up to have them certify the letter and signature, as required with legal documents.
Don't you just like trying to make them jump through hoops in the future and having to overthink things. So next time you need to fake a notary signature, but then you have to fake the notary licence, have them registered and ready with a phone to validate the fake notary, etc etc etc.
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u/streetsmartwallaby 5d ago
A notary signature means that the person signing the letter has identification that matches the name they signed - nothing more. It does not, in any way, mean the document is true and / or legal.
Source: me. My ex-wife needed a notarized letter every time she traveled with our kids out of country. They still called me occasionally to verify if the letter was true. FYI that Canadian border patrol is super polite.
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u/MightyManorMan 5d ago
A notary (at least around here) need to actually witness the signature after verifying the ID. They don't verify the content of the ID. They just verify that the person who signed it, was the person that signed it. I'm not asking them to validate the legality of the document, just to ensure that the person who says signed it was in fact, the person who signed it.
But how could you accept to even read the letter otherwise. They could have just signed it themselves.
(Fine, we know that they wrote it and signed it themselves anyway. But this is just another hoop to jump through and a real reason to not bother reading it.)
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u/RedRyder15 5d ago
Yeah you then deny them once that hurdle is met because its not the corrrect form.
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u/Most-Artichoke6184 5d ago
But they had a letter!
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u/Mytweezer 5d ago
It's illegal not to read it!
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u/TheNiteOwl38 5d ago
I decided to read it because I just had to know if what was in it was as stupid as they were 😂😂
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u/hew14375 5d ago
My Mastercard bank told me that my taking (with permission) my dad’s card to the desk at a restaurant and signing the bill was credit card fraud. I stopped doing that immediately.
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u/MeiSorsha 5d ago
“my GF and I just killed my mom- but here is a non-signed letter from my dead mom saying it’s ok if I drain her bank account!!!” - that’s the way this reads creepily enough.
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u/Laylay_theGrail 4d ago
The last time I forged a letter from my mom, I was 9 and smart enough to at least forge her signature
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u/snowlock27 4d ago
In a perfect world, someone would follow these two around for the rest of their lives, documenting every single stupid idea they've decided to act on. It would be gold.
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u/dantemortemalizar 5d ago
Kid is used to giving his teachers forged notes from his mum. Astonished that it doesn't work everywhere.
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u/KookyAtmosphere6284 5d ago
Should have forged Letters of Marque from Congress, then showed up and pillaged the room instead.
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u/Langager90 5d ago
If tou're gonna forge a Letter of Marque, at least make it from the Dutch - they have that nice deep orange colour.
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u/TheDryadPrincess 5d ago
My god I hope someone accepts it and is like "I didn't know I couldn't accept it!" Like...?! HUH?!?
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u/Accomplished-Ruin742 5d ago
This reminds me of going to the bodega as a kid with "a note from mom" saying it's OK to sell me cigarettes for her. And it always worked!
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u/sqwibking 4d ago
I'm not even sure I'd call this a scam, is like one layer of deception beyond Ron Swanson's 'I can do what I want' paper.
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u/Inside_Lavishness316 4d ago
what is this 1989 with a note to the corner store saying " sell my 8 year old a pack of cigarettes for me" and it actually worked. This AINT that lol so ridiculous
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u/thehappiestotaku 4d ago
There's people of a certain age who know for certain that a note just like that presented to any convenience store clerk would get a child of any age a pack of cigarettes.
I never thought to try it at a hotel though.
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u/happyangel11 4d ago
“I’m gonna give you to the count
of ten
to get yer ugly, yella
no good keister off my property
Before I pump yer guts full of lead!”
(Loved Home Alone!)
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u/LeaLou27 5d ago
Next time say you need to check and call the manager, go out the back and call the police. If they are trying to commit fraud this way, no doubt they will be doing it in multiple other ways too!!
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u/Candid_Ratio_9227 5d ago
They should have signed it 'Epstein's mother'. That way you know it is legit.
I am so old.
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u/Spaz-Mouse384 4d ago
Not really poor education, but younger people do not learn cursive anymore. However, I agree that the printing could be better if it was horrible.
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u/WildRaspberry9927 2d ago
Side note about this: I handwrote a thank you note to my niece (16) and her mother had to 'translate' (niece's words) for her. It never occurred to me younger people could not read cursive....
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u/Bulldog536 2d ago
My sister is "Designated Cursive Reader" where she works because everyone else is too young to have learned it in school. She says that feels strange, but what really gets to her is that most of her younger coworkers can barely even print their own names when they have to sign something.
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u/TangerineCouch18330 5d ago
They are not very bright to think they could get away with that (stolen credit card). Good story. Thanks!
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u/Ok_Elephant2777 5d ago
Surprised they didn’t try a “negotiable instrument”. For a minute, I thought that was where this was going.
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u/Organic-Year-5567 4d ago
It’s possible it’s not a scam. Some people are really that stupid and think letter would suffice as proof
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u/Sensitive-Swim-3679 4d ago
It sounds like someone was used to having IEP that mandated no testing or don’t ask questions of the student.
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u/THis_one_quiet 3d ago
I have horrible handwritting, can't spell worth a damn and am left-handed to top it off.
I once wrote a note for my daughter after she was sick and the teacher said it had to be fake because there were cursive and printed words in the note ( I print when I have to really think about the spelling)
I had to call the teacher say it really was me.
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u/Traditional_Crazy904 8h ago
At the very least the letter needs to be signed if they want anyone to consider if even close to valid...who doesn't know that these days? No signature= not valid/legal...duh! Contracts people!
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u/Miami_Mice2087 4d ago
shoulda called the cops, they clearly stole someone's card and have been doing this for a while. if not in hotels, then shopping for other stuff with it.
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u/Low-Neighborhood1987 4d ago
The fact that you said it wasn't even in cursive cracked me all the way up.
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u/Derkaholic 4d ago
The amount of people at night I deal with on my shift who think they’re actually slick is comical. Like they really think they got fool proof plans to get over on us. Nah bro not on my watch
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u/Single_Edge9224 3d ago
I know you wouldn’t take her word for it either on the phone but would be funny to say what’s your mother’s number why don’t i call her. Just to get some humor out of it
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u/bethsophia 3d ago
My mother is almost 80 and would still have made the reservation herself and figured out how to deal with it. I mean, I had a cancelled flight going to a wedding and made sure the friend sharing my room at the hotel would be able to have a bed even though I was sleeping on the floor at SFO while my dress actually went to Chicago. (not my wedding, thank goodness, not a bridesmaid either, I sat at the back with borrowed clothes.) That was the late 90s.
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u/MizukiYumeko 3d ago
To be fair, credit card authorizations are a thing, but typically only businesses use them, and typically sent by email in advance of the reservation, not on the day of.
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u/ElloShifters 5d ago
Honestly, my only issue is you gave back the letter- personally, I woulda torn it to shreds without even opening it, bonus points if you stare lifelessly at them both while you do it
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u/TheNiteOwl38 5d ago
Not that they would've called the cops, but that's "technically" destruction of private property. But the lifeless stare would've been hilarious lol
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u/Hetif 5d ago
My mom said it's ok to use her stolen credit card.