Category Archives: Crime

by | July 6, 2012 · 6:56 am

Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: Florida Motels To Work With Police To Identify And Avoid Meth Lab Operations In Guest Rooms

At the end of the month … police will have a training program to educate hotels on how to identify potential meth dealers looking for a temporary base to cook. In the last three months there have been three drug lab busts in two Motel 6 locations in Jacksonville.

The problem of meth labs in local motel rooms seems to be growing, but there is a renewed focus on stopping the spread.

Fred Pozin, General Manager of the Ramada in Mandarin, tells WOKV they work directly with the Sheriff’s Office to try and seek out the users.

For more:  http://www.wokv.com/weblogs/morning-news-recap/2012/jul/06/stopping-mobile-meth-labs/

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by | July 4, 2012 · 1:23 am

Hospitiality Industry Security Risks: Ohio Hotel Employees Accused Of Raping Two Women Guests In Hotel Room

The 44- and 45-year-old women reported being raped by both men after returning to their room from a party. The indictment states that the women were vaginally raped while they were impaired and unable to resist or consent.

A Hampton Inn security guard and a valet are accused of raping two women May 13 in the women’s hotel room. Solomon Baba, 23, of Cleveland, and Kevin Kozieracki, 37, of Middleburg Heights, are charged with rape, kidnapping and burglary.

Baba, the valet, is being held on a $100,000 bond, while Kozieracki, is being held on a $250,000 bond. They are due back in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court for a hearing Thursday.

For more:  http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2012/07/hampton_inn_security_guard_and.html

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by | June 30, 2012 · 6:21 am

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Florida Hotels And Guests Defrauded By Homeless Man; Watched Guests Leave Room And Claimed He Was That Person

“…He would apparently watch a guest leave then go into the room and claim he’s that person.  Once in the room, police told WFTV Price would call the front desk and say he wanted to extend the stay, sometimes by 10 days…”

“…At the Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal, Price allegedly racked up nearly $9,000 in charges on an Ohio man’s credit card…”

A homeless man spent Friday night in the Orange County Jail.  He was busted after police said he posed as a guest at lavish hotels and went on spending sprees that his victims paid for. David Price has been homeless for the past two years.  On some nights he found shelter at the most lavish hotels in Orange County including The Ritz Carlton, Hard Rock Hotel and Loews Portofino Bay.  He stayed at those hotels on other people’s dime.

A few days ago, police arrested Price after he finagled his way into a room at the Hard Rock Hotel that was previously occupied by a hotel worker.  Security officers knew the employee had already left so they called the police.  Officers apparently found items from other hotels in the room, including The Peabody on International Drive and the Four Seasons in Miami.

For more:  http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/investigators-homeless-man-arrested-stays-hotels-o/nPjTK/

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by | June 27, 2012 · 6:28 am

Hospitality Industry Information Risks: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Sues Hotel Operator Over Guest Account Data Theft That Results In Over $10 Million Of Credit Card Fraud

“… fraudulent charges on Wyndham’s consumer accounts totaled more than $10.6 million following three data breaches in less than two years. The breaches occurred in April 2008, March 2009 and in late 2009…”

The Federal Trade Commission said repeated failures to secure consumer data led to hundreds of thousands of consumers’ payment card information being exported to an Internet domain address registered in Russia.

Wyndham, which operates several hotel brands, including the value-oriented Days Inn and Super 8, is one of a large number of organizations that acknowledged in the past three years that they had been hacked by people seeking either financial gain or intellectual property.

Other victims have included entertainment giant Sony, the International Monetary Fund, Google, Lockheed Martin and Citigroup.

For more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/27/uk-ftc-wyndham-idUSLNE85Q01Q20120627

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by | June 25, 2012 · 6:27 am

Hospitality Industry Information Security: Hotel And Restaurant Guests Face Increased Risks Of "Credit Card Cloning"; Stolen Data Rewritten Onto New Cards And Used Instantly

 “…an unscrupulous restaurant waiter with a pocket skimmer might be able to steal information from hundreds of customers a week, selling that information to those with the means to encode fake credit cards. Battery-powered skimmers can be carried in a pocket…copying information as customers swipe cards to pay for gas or withdraw cash…”

The (stolen) information then can be emailed or downloaded over the Internet and rewritten onto any card with a magnetic strip, such as gift cards or hotel keys. While the victim’s credit card is still in his or her possession, someone could be using a perfect replica hundreds of miles away.

The process, called “cloning,” accounts for much of the growth in credit card fraud during the past few years, officials said. According to a Javelin Strategy and Research report, credit card fraud has increased 87 percent since 2010, culminating in aggregate losses of $6 billion nationwide.

Credit card cloning is easy and lucrative, accounting for its popularity, said Sileo, who founded the Web site Thinklikeaspy.com.

People whose cards are skimmed might not know for weeks or months that their information has been stolen. Once someone realizes it, the account usually is closed quickly. Savvy crooks know to rack up major bills just as fast.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/06/24/2236535/financial-crimes-credit-card-cloning.html#storylink=cpy

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by | June 17, 2012 · 6:59 am

Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: Thieves Steal Missouri Restaurant's Air Conditioning Unit For Third Time In Five Years; Total Losses Over $15,000

“…how thieves could come and go at ease over a span of about 90 minutes, climb the 8-foot-high jail bars protecting their air conditioning unit…essentially locking themselves inside the bars with no fear of getting caught as they dismantled the unit, stripping it of copper and other valuable metals. It was all caught by the surveillance camera…”

Air conditioner thieves struck a favorite Chinese restaurant in East St. Louis last month, for the third time in five years. The losses have topped $15,000 for the Hong Kong Chop Suey at 60thand State.

With almost no progress in the police investigation, the restaurant owners released the surveillance video to FOX 2, hoping to save their business. Instead of talking about food and customers’ orders, workers were talking about thieves again at the restaurant Monday night.

Thieves also hit the restaurant’s a/c units there in 2007 and 2010. Repair and replacement costs have soared. “First timeabout $8,000. Second time about $5,000. This time about $2,000,” Chiu explained.

For more:  http://fox2now.com/2012/06/11/ac-theft-could-cause-restaurant-to-shutdown/

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by | June 16, 2012 · 6:32 am

Hospitality Industry Wireless Security Risks: Cyber Criminals Setting Up "Mock Wi-Fi Hot Spots" At Hotels To Steal Wireless Device Data

“People will see ‘free Wi-Fi’ and click on it, and when they do that they open themselves up to great exposure…the best approach is to be wary and steer clear of Wi-Fi hotspots that do not seem legitimate — something (that) looks like it’s not quite right, not the proper name they might expect,” 

Gary Davis, McAfee’s director of global consumer marketing, said there was a growing trend of hackers setting up mock Wi-Fi hotspots in public places, which appear at the top of the list of available Wi-Fi connections.

Once compromised, hackers can take total control of a device, including removing all the data contained on it. Android devices are currently the devices most targeted by hackers, Davis said.

“We saw a 1,200% increase in malware targeting Android devices just in the first quarter of this year,” he said.

John said the best approach for business travelers when using public Wi-Fi is to remotely log into their employer’s virtual private network, or VPN, which ensures all data received and sent from a device is encrypted.

For more:  http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/12/business/cyber-hackers-data-security-travel/index.html

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by | June 8, 2012 · 6:07 am

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Guest At California Hotel Has $200,000 In Jewelry Stolen

The family believes someone took a large CD zipper case  containing $200,000 worth of gold, platinum, diamonds and once they realized  what was it in, they kept it for good.

A family visiting San Diego for a wedding lost $200,000 in  jewelry in a hotel theft.

Hangameh Mousavi says her family was visiting San Diego for  an Iranian wedding over the Memorial Day weekend and stayed at the Sheraton  Hotel on Harbor Island. It’s traditional to give jewelry to the bride and so family  members brought a lot of jewelry not only to wear, but also to give as  gifts.

“We have religious jewelry, stuff with Arabic writing,  prayers,” she explained. “Things from the revolution that they don’t make any more.  Things that have been passed down from grandparents.”

There was a conference at the hotel that weekend.

For more:  $200K in Jewelry Stolen from San Diego Hotel | NBC San Diego

Source:  $200K in Jewelry Stolen from San Diego Hotel | NBC San Diego

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by | June 4, 2012 · 6:19 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Missouri-Based Restaurant Chain Settles $10 Million "Drunk Driving Lawsuit" Brought By Family Of Brain-Damaged Boy

The parents of Abdallah Khader, now 6, sought $10 million from Kansas City, Mo.-based Applebee’s in a civil lawsuit…Abdallah Khader suffered damage to 80% of his brain in the crash, and his family incurred massive medical expenses. Their lawsuit asked for $10 million to cover round-the-clock medical care along with lost future earnings, mental anguish, and pain and suffering — all typical damages in a personal-injury case.

The Khaders’ lawsuit accused workers at a Mansfield, Texas, Applebee’s of serving a man 23 drinks in less than two hours, leading him to drive drunk and crash into the Khaders’ car. A law firm’s investigation was key to the Applebee’s settlement, the family’s lawyer said.

The firm’s investigation dug up the alleged drunken driver’s Applebee’s receipts, which showed he paid for nearly two dozen drinks in a two-hour span. Police determined the driver’s blood-alcohol level was more than three times Texas’ legal limit, which is 0.08%.

The Khaders sued Applebee’s and the drunken driver, a repeat DWI offender who also faces criminal charges related to the crash. The driver’s criminal trial is pending, KTVT reports.

For more:  http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/31/tablogsfindlawcom2012-injured-idUS369201020620120531

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by | June 1, 2012 · 7:47 am

Hospitality Industry Payment Fraud Risks: Florida Hotels Victims Of $15,000 Scam By Guests; Legitimate Credit Cards "Switched" To Prepaid Debit Cards

“…(three men) racked up roughly $15,000 in charges at several Disney hotels earlier this year and then left without paying before hotel staff ever realized what happened…Each man checked into a hotel with a legitimate credit card but then switched the room charges to prepaid debit cards that each had less than $10 in value…”

Falk, 36, told deputies they pulled off the scam by taking advantage of a loophole in the way Disney charges resort guests that he discovered during a legitimate vacation four years ago. Then they charged thousands in theme-park purchases to their rooms. Since the hotel limited charges to between $1,000 and $1,500 per room, the fraudulent purchases went undetected since they stayed below those amounts, they told deputies.

Nero, 39, told deputies they visited resort hotels seven times and reserved a total of 13 rooms from February to April. The three could still be living the high life had it not been for a vigilant cigar shop employee, a report says. The employee contacted authorities after Falk allegedly came into the shop several times to buy hundreds of dollars worth of pricey cigarettes.

The employee told police that Falk was spending more money than most of the other customers but what really made him suspicious was that Falk never seemed to care what brand of cigarettes he bought. According to the shop owner, most smokers are loyal to their brands.

For more:  http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-05-31/news/os-disney-hotel-scam-20120531_1_hotels-shop-owner-room-charges

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