Am I a cyber neurotic

£eagle · Post by **£eagle** » Thu 23 Aug 2018 11:29 am

I recently booked online a short stay at a well known hotel. I went through the online payment process using a credit card. I received a reservation confirmation and a note telling me how secure their online payments system is. Two days later, by email, I was told I had not paid. The earlier process was described as a booking verification. No money had, in fact been taken from my account. I was now required to fill out a form with all my personal and credit card details, sign it and then post it or fax it back to the hotel.

As well as being mystified why the hotel does not accept secure online payments, when it is a contractual term of their online booking service, I am alarmed that the paper form, with my signature, is potentially an invitation for identity and card theft. Am I being neurotic?

ozankoys · Post by **ozankoys** » Thu 23 Aug 2018 12:00 pm

I do not think you are being neurotic, can you book through an agency or try a different card? Sometimes the hotel does not take the payment until just before you arrive? It certainly seems very strange & if you were booking from abroad such as people who live in TRNC most of us have no fax facilities & you would not be able to post.

sophie · Post by **sophie** » Thu 23 Aug 2018 1:04 pm

Yes and No!!! It is common practice and has been for some years now when booking a hotel on line to be asked to provide details of a credit or debit card, when your bill has been totalled up for say 10 nights. This proves to the booking agency that there is a valid card the hotel can claim against. They don't actually take any money from you, although on one occasion the agency did deduct 5GBP "as a test" but the bill at the end of my stay was amended accordingly. You get a verification number from the Agency e.g. Booking.com Then a couple of days later we receive another confirmation of our booking from the Hotel in Turkey. We haven't had to go through the paying stage again, although they did give the last 3 numbers on the rear of my card to prove that all was kosher.

waddo · Post by **waddo** » Thu 23 Aug 2018 1:32 pm

Yes and No and Maybe! For sure if I have booked with my credit card and received a reservation confirmation then I would be happy, if I then received an email a few days later asking for more information, I would first check my credit card account with my supplier to ensure that money had either been deducted or not. If money had been deducted I would then contact the booking agency and send them a copy of the email received and ask questions! I would not respond to the email request at that time as I would require further information from the booking agency. If money had not been deducted I would again contact the booking agency and enquire as to why this extra process was now required but not advertised. Depending on the response/s I would cancel the whole booking and seek life elsewhere. For sure I would not send by post or fax or email attachment any details of the credit card to anyone apart from my bank. Maybe I will lose a few really good value holidays but then I will not lose my credit card details to any scam! "I went through the online payment process using a credit card." The booking agency and the hotel you book with can check the details you provided, with your card supplier to prove that your card is valid!!!

Mr Chinnery · Post by **Mr Chinnery** » Thu 23 Aug 2018 2:11 pm

£eagle,
They are asking you to send them a letter with credit card details and I presume name and address, also your phone
number? And sign it ! DO NOT under any circumstances do that. By doing so you will have given the recipient all the details for identity theft!.
I would not even supply those details on an email.
Be very careful.