Stupid Guest Tricks

The last couple times I've been at Mickey's House, I've noticed that, occasionally, we get flyers for off-property pizza delivery in our villas. I've always wondered how they got there, and how the non-Disney folks managed to penetrate the Disney perimeter. Something just didn't seem right. I just came across this the other day:

Pizza Delivery Credit Card Scam at Walt Disney World Resorts

Do a lot of Guests fall for things like this? I can see why, given that the pizza at WDW is not particularly great, but I'm amazed at the tenacity of the scammers and how they keep trying to come back no matter how many times they get caught / shut down.

goofyjoe wrote:The last couple times I've been at Mickey's House, I've noticed that, occasionally, we get flyers for off-property pizza delivery in our villas. I've always wondered how they got there, and how the non-Disney folks managed to penetrate the Disney perimeter. Something just didn't seem right. I just came across this the other day:

Pizza Delivery Credit Card Scam at Walt Disney World Resorts

Do a lot of Guests fall for things like this? I can see why, given that the pizza at WDW is not particularly great, but I'm amazed at the tenacity of the scammers and how they keep trying to come back no matter how many times they get caught / shut down.

Yeah, we've been after these bozos for over a year now. They even get into Bay Lake Tower, which is supposed to be locked down. (I can't even get in and I work there!)

We did catch a few. A first-timer just got trespassed off. A repeat offender was hauled off to jail, but apparently they didn't know enough to take down their superiors.

Let me echo the call in the article -- don't order from them, and please do report it to the Front Desk. We can't staff up to catch them all, so knowing when they're active can be a big help.

I wonder if the same thing is going on in the Anaheim Resort area. There's a tourist mag for the local hotels and there are a lot of ads for various food places that will deliver.

Most of the hotels that I have stayed at in Anaheim do have binders with near by restaurants. Those advertised will deliver, but you have to order more than $20.

Verizon has been doing the same crap out here in my complex. I had a stupid guy bug me and wanted me to change back to them. I have Time Warner. Unlimited phone calls, cable and internet $99 + tax. $125.46 which is good.
The guy for Verizon kept on bugging me and I told him that he was in the complex illegally and I called the police on the company. The guy said I was a lier and the police did walk him out. :mad:

Zazu wrote:Yeah, we've been after these bozos for over a year now. They even get into Bay Lake Tower, which is supposed to be locked down. (I can't even get in and I work there!)

Do you think they might be getting into Mousekeeping somehow? I don't want to think so, since they do such a wonderful job with everything, but I sometimes notice them after a "trash and towel" day. Perhaps it's just coincidental. Or, perhaps they're "piggybacking" by walking in behind someone who walks into Bay Lake Tower. Though I think it would be pretty easy for Security to notice someone just kind of standing around and following Guests across the footbridge into the building. I'm amazed that they'd make it all the way to the Contemporary, considering how much more difficult it seems to get into the Magic Kingdom resorts than it is to get into, say, the Epcot resorts or Saratoga Springs (or even the Pop / All-Stars).

Where do you tell Guests to order from if they're looking for an off-property place? Hopefully there isn't much of a stigma attached to ordering from off-property when you're on Disney property - though I have a friend in concierge at another resort who told me that they routinely direct Guests off-property for things that they can't get at WDW.

And how often do Guests come down to report that they've been scammed? :mad:

goofyjoe wrote:Do you think they might be getting into Mousekeeping somehow? I don't want to think so....

I think this unlikely, as the folks we *have* caught were all non-cast.

Of course, if we ever caught someone with a nametag doing this, they would become non-cast *very* quickly.

... but I sometimes notice them after a "trash and towel" day. Perhaps it's just coincidental.

It is. Every day is "T&T" day for somebody.

Or, perhaps they're "piggybacking" by walking in behind someone who walks into Bay Lake Tower. Though I think it would be pretty easy for Security to notice someone just kind of standing around and following Guests across the footbridge into the building.

Almost certainly their approach. Unfortunately, there are at least six entrances to the building, and Security doesn't have the manpower to man them all. If they did, the crews would probably just come another day.

I'm amazed that they'd make it all the way to the Contemporary, considering how much more difficult it seems to get into the Magic Kingdom resorts than it is to get into, say, the Epcot resorts or Saratoga Springs (or even the Pop / All-Stars).

How is it difficult? Park at Downtown Disney for free and take the bus!

Where do you tell Guests to order from if they're looking for an off-property place?

There's a placemat of useful information at each desk station (if it hasn't gone missing) that include phone numbers for the local Papa Johns, Pizza Hut, and Dominoes. Never had a complaint about any of these.

Of course, these three actually sell pizza, not credit card numbers.

Hopefully there isn't much of a stigma attached to ordering from off-property when you're on Disney property - though I have a friend in concierge at another resort who told me that they routinely direct Guests off-property for things that they can't get at WDW.

I wouldn't know *how* to attach a stigma to such. I don't even think we *stock* stigma. Wish we did, 10% of the guests in the park need some!

And yes, a big part of my job is directing guests off-property for everything from groceries to Universal.

And how often do Guests come down to report that they've been scammed? :mad:

Generally, once each.

When I stayed at SSR in October we got a couple of pizza flyers under the door (both on different days), but I didn't think to report them to the resort. There was no way that we could have narrowed down the time since both days that they were left were days that we had spent the entire day out of the room.

Also, I wouldn't have bothered to buy from the because 1) I had heard of the scam before and 2) I lived in Kissimmee for a number of years and knew if I wanted pizza delivered from off-site I would get it from Flippers.

Zazu wrote: How is it difficult? Park at Downtown Disney for free and take the bus!

True that. I was thinking of driving, which would require less travel time. But where there's a will, there's a way, I suppose. Most of the credit card fraudsters I dealt with for four-plus years were pretty lazy and / or stupid and didn't cover their tracks well, but those who did were the ones who got through. If one is really motivated, then a wait for a bus and a bus ride wouldn't stop them.

But I've heard that a lot of folks park at DTD, take a bus to a resort, and then take a bus, monorail, or boat to a park to save on parking. If it's good enough for those folks, it must be good enough for the pizza pirates.

I wouldn't know *how* to attach a stigma to such. I don't even think we *stock* stigma. Wish we did, 10% of the guests in the park need some!

I guess I was hinting at the experience of someone I know staying in the capital city of a certain foreign country, and having to ask their staff where a laundry place or grocery store was. The staff feigned ignorance (probably unless they could convince them to go to a place that was kicking back to the hotel) and then they gave them dirty looks when they came back with their own groceries.

But that'd never fly at WDW. (At least I hope it wouldn't. Although I have heard of people bringing their own cooking appliances.)

Thanks for posting this. I'm not certain if I would have recognized this as a scam right off. It's possible that the cynical part of my brain would go "why would Disney allow a food competitor to put fliers under the door," but I bet that the scam will float to other hotels eventually and now I'm on guard.

Zazu wrote:Generally, once each.

I so cannot wait to meet you Zazu. :D: