Very dangerous defrauding trend started in some hotels in Krakow

Very dangerous defrauding trend started in some hotels in Krakow

The owners of few hotels and private apartments are asking from all the international
tourists, at the check in, to make copies after their passports.

Combined with the fact that on all reservations through booking.,
all the credit card details are transmitted in FULL to the owners,
the combination proves to be already lethal for many tourists
who found their accounts emptied,
paypal accounts made on their name, and so on...

A copy after a passport and the complete credit card details
of somebody is usually everything you need to steal completely the identity
of that person.

And unfortunately, with 65 millions of indentity theft cases
each year, the numbers of cases increasing 10-15% each year,
it seems Poland is now the paradise of identity thieves - private hotels
who take all the personal private information and copies after passports!

What utter nonsense. Schengen law says that hotels MUST take a copy - it's nothing new in Europe. I'm still wondering how someone can empty a bank account with someone's credit card details and a copy of their passport.

Is this our friend beermat posting more nonsense about which he knows nothing?

delphidomine, that's total BS.

There is no schengen law for private business to have copies after your passport...

Show that "schengen law" BS...!

any bank online account: paypal, moneybookers, any bank at all online etc etc etc
will always ask a copy of passport scan to send to them, and only sometimes credit card details.

the owners of many small apartments rented out for short term, take all tourists's details
and then the identity theft is at the whole discretion of any receptionist, anyone at all

But how do they get the login and password for paypal or moneybookers?

When I was in Poland in June/July, every hotel asked for our passports and I assume made a copy. Maybe they just copied the passport information by hand. I did not pay attention. I have no idea what law it was, but whether it was in Rypin, Lipno, or Włocławek, we had to give the clerk our passports. I did not use my credit card, my room was paid for by the group using another person's card. Hopefully, nothing has or will happen.

Every hotel that I've ever been to required that a card be filled out with your information, including the number of your identity card/passport. I've never been asked to have it copied. For what it's worth, I use booking. for travel (including to some pretty shady place), and have never had a problem.

Also you dont have to send your passport details, you verify your account in other ways, the old we'll make a transaction then once you receive it give us the code - works just fine.

copying information on passport by hand is ok.

having xerox copy to your passport is your quite sure way to lose all your money

wroclawboy, any identity thief will EASILY create ACCOUNTS on your name...
and from bank account the money goes to PAYPAL and from PAYPAL out in his pocket ;)

I say again, so everything is clear:

The super dangerous new trend is
Xerox Copy after your passport - is totally your sure pass to huge problems in the future

versus

Just copying the info from passport on a card or on paper, by hand or in computer - that is normal,
and it was always this way

So - where's the proof of this super dangerous new trend?

I'm still wondering how they can obtain your login and password from a copy of your passport. It's not like any institution in Poland will accept a photocopy of a passport as valid ID!

Any links there or is this information known just to yourself?

You'd expect such scam to be all over the press, wouldn't you?

Not even a thing in the KrakowPost about thie NEW SUPER DANGEROUS SCAM.

Most definitely.

I don't know what the OP's motives are but from what I have read, I have reason to suspect him of misleading people.

If he starts talking about property, then we'll know ;)

Hey, OP - what kind of scams should I be aware of when buying a flat in Krakow? Do you have any experience in that area?

It's so easy to close your eyes and be blind, and then be defrauded and wonder how it hapenned TO YOU TOO...

It is interesting actually what are delphi's motives for trying to keep people ignorant with lies "it is schengen law to xerox copy your passsport at hotels" complete lies...

read more:

[3w].privacyrights.org/fs/fs17a.htm
[3w].aboutidentitytheft.co.uk/passport-details-date-birth-can-be-used. html
[3w].us-passport-service-guide.com/passport-fraud.html

Definitely beermat - none of the links have any connection to what allegedly happened in Krakow.

NEW KRAKOW SCAM - HOTELS TAKE COPIES OF YOUR PASSPORT IN ORDER TO DRIVE UP PROPERTY PRICES

In Poland we have to give our xerox of id nearly everywhere. It's normal thing but you are right that someone can use it for a scam... but somebody inside (a bank) has to be involved in such scam.

Ok, so that means that you people in Poland you think that everyone is HONEST and CORRECT and nobody will ever do any harm.

And all the hundreds of thousands of polish criminals are in jail only because of... accidents
and noone will ever do such thing in Poland, noone will ever steal all the money from your bank account if they have ALL THE TOOLS to do it, because you provided them with THEM...

delphi, you have 3675 posts because all your life you only attack everyone on this forum,
there is no life for your outside the forum, isn't it?

And don't worry, all major newspapers will write about this in the next months.

Now this dangerous trend just started, and if you search fior accomodation in hotels in Krakow you will see how they EAGERLY XREOX copy your passport ;)

What are the tools? You can't do nothing with a photocopy of a passport in Poland. In fact, in the UK, you can't do anything with a photocopy there either - the original must be provided. So - how about telling us how you can empty a bank account using a photocopy of a passport?

This thread is just the sad rantings of a maniac in Krakow who likes to call people up on Christmas Eve, shouting and crying. There's no proof whatsoever for this "scam", it hasn't been reported anywhere else - and this is the only place that it's been mentioned. And the original poster has a vested interest in driving down property prices in Krakow - I wonder why?

The best part is, as always, the links posted have absolutely nothing to do with the fraudulent use of passport photocopies. Try again, beermat.

delphi I must say that you are hunting ghosts. I am not that person that you are searching for, in your sad lunatic 3677 trolling flaming war posts all over PF...

If you would read the millions of pages describing IDENTITITY THEFT you will see how extremely easy it is with a XEROX COPY of PASSPORT to do thousands of REALLY EVIL THINGS...

But this is for the others users of PF to see, because you delphi, you are clearly lost in your lunacy...

You really have lost the plot, haven't you?

Go on, provide us with a link telling us about this DANGEROUS NEW SCAM in Krakow. Go on, any link will do. Come on. Do your best. :)

things are happening in REAL WORLD without HYPERTEXT LINKS to them.

go out in the REAL WORLD ! see what is happening !

you delphi are living in a VIRTUAL world, of hyperlinks and googleing everything...

Like in that real joke

father - "Son, It is raining outside"
internet addicted - "Oh, give me a link to see!"

If it is that easy Beernut, why not do it yourself? Make some money for a change instead of trying to be the next internet billionaire and having to live off your wife.

Speaking of identity theft, what about people that post on PF with multiple identities, who use the same bad English and expressions. What is the motive for doing this?. Personally, I would call this a form of LUNACY. I think I will go long with Delph on this one, its our old, unimaginative, Krakow friend again.

I was helpiung people off out here. Also it seems I have been giving ideas to all the identity thieves out here...

As far as I know the reason Hotels take details of the passport/copy is because it is required by law, I would expect there to be a central database where in the case of accident or other, people can be searched. Secondly the Hotel wants some sort of guarantee against your credit card, as you are not charged until you leave. I would accept there has been identity theft, but this is not limited Krakow,it is most likely world wide and % very minimal in relation to people that book hotels. I think everyone is aware it is always better to pay by debit card from a slush account that has a minimal amount of money in ( enough to cover costs of course)

Ive never had my passport copied in all the hotels ive stayed at in Poland, why is it only Krakow hotels mentioned, is there some kind of city wide fraud campaign exclusive to Krakow?

I mean - i live in Poland im not going to take my passport out unless im leaving the country. What a load of crap, this may be the work of our property troll.

Don't feed the troll ;)

Yep, that's the theory behind the Schengen law that they need your details. It's part of why there aren't border controls - if they're hunting for someone, it's much easier if hotels have a copy of just who is staying there. As I recall, it's quite common in some countries like Spain and Italy for the local police to come and check out who is staying there as well.

I'm still wondering why this MAJOR BIG SCAM hasn't been reported anywhere online...

No mention from UK Gov about major scams in Krakow -everything else is on the list

fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/europe/poland

Schengen agreement (swedemb-manila.com/consular/shengen.htm) has removed border controls between participating nations (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy and Austria) there are specific rules for visitors.

Under the Schengen rules you must verify your identity when staying at a hotel, boarding-house or camping ground in a Schengen state. The type of identity document you will be required to present varies and is decided by each country. This may mean you need to have your passport with you. If you are to stay at a hotel and travel in the Nordic area, the same applies as previously, that is to say you do not need a passport since any other identity document is adequate

So - the UK Government doesn't know anything about it, the Polish English-language press doesn't know anything about it, we don't know anything about it - but the mystery guest poster does.

I still want to know how photocopied passports are being used by greedy developers to drive up property prices.