HOTEL SCAM ALERT

HOTEL SCAM ALERT

It has come to our attention that some of our invited speakers have been contacted by a company named Business Travel Management (BTM) about their stay during our conference. Please be aware that this is a scam.

The company will send you an email or call you to entice you to purchase rooms in Bonn. If you indicate that you have a rooming need, BTM will send you a credit card authorization form. Please DO NOT give out any personal information to this company. Please ignore any emails and calls from BTM or any other travel agent and DO NOT complete the form that is attached to their emails.

MPIM and our hotels will NEVER send emails or place telephone calls to individuals in order to promote specific accommodations. If you receive emails or telephone calls regarding hotel accommodations, please disregard them and do not engage with the sender. Only MPIM will contact you about the reservation or arrival time. We will never ask for any payment in advance. In case credit card details are needed to guarantee a reservation by late arrival, we will do this, not an external company.

MPIM is not affiliated in any way with BTM or any other travel agent. The only way for our conference participants to reserve a hotel room is to contact our housing department by email to housing@mpim-bonn.mpg.de [1]. 

We take data privacy and security with the utmost importance and your contact information has not been forwarded to a third party. The agencies DO NOT have access to information on your registration and hotel bookings. They are accessing public information and searching contact details through search engines like Google.

If you receive a phone call or an email from BTM, or have been contacted by any other travel agent, please forward the information immediately to our housing department [2]. We are working to address this situation and have reported this scam to relevant authorities. Your kind understanding and support is much appreciated.

What to do if you have been contacted by a scam company about booking hotels?

1. If you have given out your credit card information to BTM or anyone who called you about booking hotel rooms for the conference, call your credit card company immediately, alert them to the scam, and deny the charge.
2. Change your online passwords and PINs to prevent fraudsters from doing any further damage.
3. Continue to monitor your credit card to look for fraudulent charges. Request further information from your credit card company regarding closing your account or issuing a new card.
4. Book your rooms only through our housing department [1].