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Last updated on Tuesday, January 8, 2013
(INDIANAPOLIS) - A man staying at an Indianapolis hotel said his bank account was drained after a mysterious phone call to his Days Inn Hotel room near the Indianapolis International Airport.
Stephen Dena of TheIndyChannel.com reports that the 56-year-old Missouri native told Indianapolis metro police that about $1,200 was withdrawn from his bank account after a scammer called his hotel room and convinced him to give up his debit card number.
The victim reported that after checking in at the Days Inn Hotel on Fortune Circle near Interstate 465 and Sam Jones Expressway, he received a call two hours later claiming to be from the hotel's front desk.
He told police on Friday that the caller knew his name, and also mentioned the correct name of the actual hotel manager. The caller then told him there was a problem with the hotel's credit card machine when he checked in, so his card number was needed to finalize his check-in for the room.
At first, the victim resisted and said he was hesitant to give his credit card information over the phone, but he said the caller threatened to have him thrown out of his room if he didn't comply.
The victim then figured the call was legitimate, and provided the same debit card number that had been used to check in to the hotel.
When the man went to the front desk to ask about the unusual request, hotel staff members told him they weren't having any issues with their credit card transactions.
The man said he quickly called his bank to cancel his debit card, but the funds had already been transferred.
Only $100 remained in his main bank account, according to the police report filed in the case.
No arrests were made, but the victim told police he suspects that a man standing near the front desk at the time he checked in may have had something to do with the scam. The man appeared to be another hotel guest who had a child with him, but the victim said the man was likely listening to his name and room number while checking in.
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