A fax alleging to be a memo containing discounted travel offers is a scam, according to Hotwire. The fax contains
an old corporate
Hotwire logo.
Hotwire, a website owned by Expedia Inc., said it is
notifying customers of the scam. The company said it does no telemarketing and
does not send faxes soliciting deals on travel. The only way for consumers to
book travel is through Hotwire.com or by calling its customer care number.
“The scam involves a fax purporting to be a memo from ‘H.R.
Dept.’ to ‘All Employees’ and offering vacation packages at a steeply
discounted price,” Hotwire said in a statement. “The fax displays an old
corporate logo for Hotwire, presumably in an effort to falsely imply some
involvement by Hotwire in the offer.”
Hotwire advised consumers not to respond to any faxes that
claim they are associated with Hotwire, cease any communications if they have
already begun, not to provide any payment or personal information over the
phone to any numbers included on the faxes, and to report any fax solicitations
received to [email protected].
“Your escalations help to ensure we are aware of any new
variations on the scam, and may aide in identification of the fraudulent actors
responsible,” Hotwire said.