Tag Archives: Crime

by | May 26, 2012 · 7:35 am

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Former Iowa Hotel Assistant Manager Convicted Of Stealing Money From Guest's Wallet

“…Officers reviewed surveillance footage, which showed a woman picking up towels in the pool area along with the man’s wallet. The pool attendant turned over the wallet to Cole, who then was the assistant manager…the footage showed Cole looking through the wallet, then going into a room that did not have surveillance cameras…”

A former local hotel employee a jury recently found guilty of taking money from a guest, albeit on a lesser misdemeanor offense, will not have a conviction on her record.

Judgment for Misty Marie Cole’s offense of third-degree theft was deferred, and she was placed on probation for one year Monday.
A judge ordered her to pay the $1,000 she took.

Cole, 32, of Danville, was tried earlier this year for second-degree theft, which is a felony that could have netted the woman as many as five years in prison.

For more:  http://www.thehawkeye.com/story/Motel-052512

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by | May 23, 2012 · 6:23 am

Hospitality Industry Information Risks: Man Arrested In Texas Hotel Room At Center Of "Extensive Identity Theft Operation"

“…(He) is charged with the possession of marijuana and meth. But inside his hotel room at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas police found 400 to 500 credit cards, debit cards, gift cards and social security numbers. There was evidence of personal information involving a federal agency lifted from registration forms from a conference hosted by a North Texas hotel…”

A California man with North Texas ties is behind bars for drug possession. He was also in a downtown Dallas hotel room that appeared to be the center of an extensive identity theft operation. On Monday Dallas police arrested 26-year-old Justin Bennett. His last known address is in Los Angeles but records show he used to live in Rockwall.

Police also confiscated three laptops, a printer and a credit card embossing machine.

Sources said whoever is behind the identity theft operation appears to be taking existing credit card numbers and putting different names on them. It would never have been discovered except for a clever car rental company.

On Sunday the rental company out of Oklahoma rented a white SUV from its satellite office near the airport to a man who paid $2200 for two weeks. He used a credit card.

For more:  http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/18597822/extensive-identity-theft-operation-exposed

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by | May 22, 2012 · 6:12 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Texas Hotel Guests Have Laptop And iPad Stolen From Room; GPS Tracking Feature Leads Police To Thieves

“…Police say hotel guests returned to their room to find their key card no longer worked. Once they had a new key, they discovered someone had stolen a laptop computer, wallet, a cell phone and the iPad from the room…”

Officers were able to track down an iPad stolen from a room at the Omni Bayfront Hotel to a home on the southside of town early Sunday morning.

The owner of the iPad used a tracking feature on the device to let officers know they could find the iPad at an address on High Meadow Drive. Police say when they arrived at the home they could see people inside and marijuana in plain view.

The people inside refused to answer the door for police at first, but someone inside did answer the victim’s phone when police called.

For more:  http://www.kristv.com/news/hotel-guests-help-track-down-theft-suspects/

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by | May 19, 2012 · 7:11 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Colorado Hotel Clerk "Doused With Lighter Fluid" By Robbery Suspect

A robber doused a hotel clerk with lighter fluid at around 1:30 a.m. Saturday and threatened to set the clerk on fire at the Clarion Hotel.

The hotel is in the 300 block of West Bijou Street. Police said the suspect entered the lobby and demanded cash.

He doused a hotel clerk with lighter fluid and threatened to set the clerk on fire. The robber grabbed money out of the cash drawer and fled on foot..

Police said they arrived shortly after and searched the area with K-9 units, but were not able to track him down.

For more:  http://www.krdo.com/news/31086470/detail.html

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by | April 19, 2012 · 6:43 am

Hospitality Industry Theft Risks: Man Arrested For Using Fraudulent Credit Card Information At California Hotels; Police Seize $32,000 Worth Of Cashier's Checks

“…(the man) was arrested on suspicion of using fraudulent credit card information at hotels and resorts in Laguna Beach, Costa Mesa and Dana Point…between Feb. 15 and April 12…”

“…it was common for Larson to give his hotel room to someone else before the end of his stay and move on to another hotel…”

Harold Eric Larson, 36, of Orange was arrested April 12 at the Costa Mesa Marriott, where detectives seized documents, hotel booking information and $32,000 worth of cashier’s checks from 39 different accounts.

Larson is facing charges of burglary, identity theft, grand theft and credit card fraud, said Laguna Beach police Sgt. Robert Rahaeuser.

According to court records, Larson pleaded not guilty Monday to 20 felony counts.

Laguna police first got a tip March 2 that Larson was committing fraud at a Laguna resort.

For more:  http://www.dailypilot.com/tn-cpt-0420-larson-20120417,0,413551.story

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by | April 16, 2012 · 1:31 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Payment Risks: New Jersey Hotel Is Victim Of $3900 "Theft By Deception"; Two Teens Stay In Room After Pretending To Be Placed By Social Services Agency

Police have determined that 19-year-old Joshua Walton of Barnegat and a 17-year-old girl had stayed in the room. Both were charged with theft by deception.

Authorities say two New Jersey teens pretended to be placed in a motel by a social services agency and then ran up a bill of $3,900.

Long Beach police tell the Asbury Park Press that a woman claiming to work for Ocean County Social Services called a motel last summer and requested a room for a couple and their child.

The motel owner agreed to house them for two weeks, but later learned that the woman who had made the arrangements did not work for the agency.

For more:  http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20120415/NEWS01/204150306/Police-Teens-ran-up-3-900-hotel-bill

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by | · 1:31 am

Hospitality Industry Guest Payment Risks: New Jersey Hotel Is Victim Of $3900 "Theft By Deception"; Two Teens Stay In Room After Pretending To Be Placed By Social Services Agency

Police have determined that 19-year-old Joshua Walton of Barnegat and a 17-year-old girl had stayed in the room. Both were charged with theft by deception.

Authorities say two New Jersey teens pretended to be placed in a motel by a social services agency and then ran up a bill of $3,900.

Long Beach police tell the Asbury Park Press that a woman claiming to work for Ocean County Social Services called a motel last summer and requested a room for a couple and their child.

The motel owner agreed to house them for two weeks, but later learned that the woman who had made the arrangements did not work for the agency.

For more:  http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20120415/NEWS01/204150306/Police-Teens-ran-up-3-900-hotel-bill

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by | April 14, 2012 · 1:49 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: Florida Hotel's Video Surveillance System Captures Woman Stealing $700 In Property From Room

“…Surveillance video captured the 5-foot-7 thief, in a blue tank top and jeans  shorts, lugging the stolen TV down a hallway at the Sabal Suites hotel…”

A Florida bandit helped herself to a television, bedspread, curtains, rugs,  trash can, iron and ironing board from a vacant Tampa hotel room. The 10:15 a.m. robbery back on March 21 included several trips back and  forth as the woman stripped the room of about $700 worth of property — leaving  behind only the bed.

The 20-something suspect checked several doors before starting her one-woman  crime spree. The rooms were under renovation at the time of the robbery.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/mini-bar-article-1.1061166#ixzz1rwodYiC9

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by | April 12, 2012 · 1:10 am

Hospitality Industry Information Technology Risks: Hotel And Restaurant "POS Systems" Are The #1 Target Of Criminal Data Breaches

If a criminal can breach a system in the restaurant, they also have access to the front desk, the spa and any other connected system. The risk is even greater when hotels are part of a hotel chain with interconnected systems.

Franchise businesses are particularly at risk primarily because franchises tend to have the same POS system duplicated at all locations. If a cybercriminal can figure out a way to breach one, in all likelihood, they can replicate the attack at other locations.

In 2011, Trustwave SpiderLabs conducted 42 percent more data breach investigations than in the previous year. More than 85 percent of these data breaches occurred in the food and beverage, retail and hospitality industries.

Why the focus on these industries? There are several reasons, but the number one is that they all process credit cards. In our investigations, we found that the vast majority of assets targeted by criminals were point-of-sale software systems (75 percent of cases). Think of the scenario of a hotel that maintains a restaurant, a spa, as well as other services all connected to one POS system.  We’ve investigated cases where the criminal breaches the environment at one location and was in turn able to connect todozens of others through the wide area network used by the hotel chain.

For more:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2012/04/11/restaurants-beware-hackers-want-your-customer-data/

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by | · 1:10 am

Hospitality Industry Information Technology Risks: Hotel And Restaurant "POS Systems" Are The #1 Target Of Criminal Data Breaches

If a criminal can breach a system in the restaurant, they also have access to the front desk, the spa and any other connected system. The risk is even greater when hotels are part of a hotel chain with interconnected systems.

Franchise businesses are particularly at risk primarily because franchises tend to have the same POS system duplicated at all locations. If a cybercriminal can figure out a way to breach one, in all likelihood, they can replicate the attack at other locations.

In 2011, Trustwave SpiderLabs conducted 42 percent more data breach investigations than in the previous year. More than 85 percent of these data breaches occurred in the food and beverage, retail and hospitality industries.

Why the focus on these industries? There are several reasons, but the number one is that they all process credit cards. In our investigations, we found that the vast majority of assets targeted by criminals were point-of-sale software systems (75 percent of cases). Think of the scenario of a hotel that maintains a restaurant, a spa, as well as other services all connected to one POS system.  We’ve investigated cases where the criminal breaches the environment at one location and was in turn able to connect todozens of others through the wide area network used by the hotel chain.

For more:  http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2012/04/11/restaurants-beware-hackers-want-your-customer-data/

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