Three tips for travelers to avoid the pizza-menu scam

Have you ever heard of a scam used on travelers using pizza menus? Until yesterday, I hadn’t. And, until yesterday, I never would have hesitated when ordering a pizza from a hotel room.

Travel scam – pizza menus

The pizza-menu scam is quite simple as far a scams and cons go. Someone walks through a hotel or resort in the late afternoon after all the rooms have been cleaned and most guests have checked in. That person slips a pizza menu under each door and then waits for the phone to ring.

The scam relies on the fact that most travelers arriving at a hotel are tired and don’t want a big hassle over dinner. Pizza is easy. One call and within thirty minutes, dinner is served.

But, here’s the problem. While you will get a pizza, unless you pay with cash, you’ll also be giving up your credit card information. The next thing you know, you could have charges on your card for far more than one simple pizza.

Three steps to avoid the scam

1) If you see a menu slipped under your door, you should call the front desk. Tell them what happened and see if they are familiar with the company.

2) If the hotel gives you the green light on the pizza-delivery service, check the phone number in the telephone book because the company named on the flyer might be legitimate, but the flyer might contain a bogus telephone number.

3) Pay cash. You won’t get the miles on your credit card, but you’ll also avoid a lot of grief because your card got into the wrong hands.