The Marriott hotels and resorts which is a multi-international home to travellers around the world, with over 580 hotels and resorts of 205,053 rooms alongside other enterprises such as Verizon, Google and more have been the target of perpetual scams and robocall attempts. Let us explore more about “Marriott Robocalls”.
In 2015, a large number of this hospitality group’s customers reported that a series of them received calls on behalf of Marriot, it turned out that these calls are false and were not initiated by Marriot hotels and restores.
How did to recognize a robocall?
The scam caller will typically offer you a supplementary service or product. For example in the case of Marriot, its customers are usually offered a complimentary stay at one of the Marriot hotels, in exchange for a sale speech pitch not associated with it Marriot.
Suffice to say that the Marriot scam calls are pre-recorded messages to typically deceive you with unrealistic offers such as “a free stay at an exotic hotel” or a comprehensive all-paid vacation at the Marriot hotels. They will content you assertively that you won because of your consistent patronage.
At this point where you might have fallen for the trick, your call will then be transferred to an agent who will most likely attempt to get your details or credit card information.
This information is inessential to Marriot hotel, yes the hotel might inquire about your data such as your name, vacation date and more in case of booking and reservation but will never call to ask for your credit call details, hence you should not provide any details or interact with the caller in any way instead hang up immediately.
If this call is not from Marriot how did the caller get my contact?
The process is called spoofing, hackers and attackers of all types, imitate people, companies and even computers to trick people for personal information to gain access to something valuable.
Impersonators can spoof your information through phone/caller ID, GPS, Facial, Website, IP address, DNS and ARP.
Occasionally the hacker’s or attackers’ number may appear as a local number which is to trick you into believing the call coming from a familiar caller or someone from your area.
How can I block Marriott Robocalls?
The blocking mobile app option is developed to identify and reveal the identity of unknown numbers, record phone calls and block telemarketing or scam calls. You can download these apps for free but may be required to pay a token for premium service as call recording and blocking of telemarketing and scams calls, such apps include Truecaller, Hiya and Nomorobo.
Manual blocking option is a smartphone inbuilt feature which allows you to specific phone numbers, to activate this feature.
Lunch the phone app
Click on the More option
It will show a list of options click on setting
It will take you to another slide click on call rejection and then auto reject list
Input the number you automatically want to reject its calls
And tap the + to add the number to the list of rejected calls.
You can also you the block option to block the number
What is Marriott doing about the robocalls?
The organization through its Facebook page informed the public that these calls are not initiated by the representative or authority of Marriot hotels and resorts nor did the organisation divulge its customer’s information.
In a bid to restore confidence and reputation, the hospitality giant filed a lawsuit in the federal court of Virginia against unknown perpetrators responsible for the illegal and fraudulent misuse of Marriott’s name.
How can consumers protect themselves?
There is a step to step procedures consumers can take to protect themselves from illegal and fraudulent robocalls by knowing these facts.
If the call is a pre-recorded message instead of a customer care representative live call, it is a robocall.
Marriott is not will not call you using a pre-recorded message, therefore, don’t divulge personal information and credit card digits.
On no account will Marriott provide or share any contact or customer data with the perpetrator making these illegal calls.
What can I do when I receive robocalls?
Don’t provide any personal information
Hang up immediately you realize it’s a robocall.
Report robocall to the security agency.
What if I have provided my details?
Immediately Call your credit card or financial institutions to request a card blockage.
And inform the bank about the robocall, hence any transaction will not be authorized.
Report to the security agencies.
Marriott is well aware of the perpetrators, to protect and prevent its customer from illegal telemarketing calls claiming to be representatives of Marriott, the organization promises to continue to consider and leverage tools to Ident and bring to justice the bad actors behind the robocalls.
Frequently asked questions
Can I receive compensation for the robocall damage?
Yes, if you are a robocall victim, you may be eligible to receive compensation for the inconvenience and financial damage.
Are all pre-recorded message robocalls?
No, there are legally pre-recorded telemarketing messages.
