Mrs Smart Money warns of scam after almost being duped

Louise Walsh

An award-winning social media influencer and money coach is urging people to be careful when carrying out online transactions after she was almost duped in an elaborate scam.

Kel Galavan, who is known as 'Mrs Smart Money', is a money mindset coach who helps Irish professionals master money habits, invest with confidence and achieve financial freedom.

However, as careful as she is with money, she admits that only gut instinct stopped her from clicking on a link relating to a hotel booking she had made through online platform Booking.com.

"I had used the app a number of times because it had saved me money in the past, so I booked a hotel in Cork for an awards ceremony in November and thought, that's that," she said.

But it was far from 'that's that,' and she received an authentic-looking email on September 18th to say there was a booking and could she click on a link to re-confirm within 24 hours, or she would lose the hotel room.

"It told me that my credit card details hadn't gone through and I'd have to reconfirm quickly.

"Then I received another reminder email, which even had a clock counting down the time.

"I did the usual checks of looking at the URL, but everything looked the same. The email had the proper logo, the same format as past emails and all the details, so it looked the real deal.

"Looking back now, there were a few spelling mistakes and apostrophes missing that were red flags."

The email read: "Were reaching out about your upcoming stay. Unfortunately, your reservation hasnt been fully verified because of a transaction issue.

"Status: Identity Check on hold. Time Remaining 23h 50m Reason: Card couldnt be completely validated. The details you provided were incomplete or unclear. Your identity didnt match the transaction. No response was received from your bank. Even if the amount was hel the booking still shows not verified.

"Next steps: Please continue through our secure confirmation form (click on link). This usually takes just a few minutes, and your status updates automatically.

"Important: You might need to verify payment source. Your bank could send an SMS or push alert. Keep the page open until completed. It may take up to 10 minutes. The hold will be cleared once finalised.

"This is simply a standard me asure to confirm your payment method. If skipped, your reservation may be cancelled and the room released. We appreciate your prompt attention to this."

However, despite the urgency of the email, Kel's gut instinct kicked in and she decided to ring the hotel directly, a move she was glad she made.

"I just knew that the booking had been confirmed and my credit card details had been accepted, so I rang the hotel, and staff straight away told me it was a scam.

"Apparently, I was not the only one who received the email, and they had been dealing with worried people all morning. They told me they had been onto Booking.com and I should be hearing from them - but I haven't heard a thing."

Kel is now urging all internet users to be alert and careful with all transactions and, if in doubt, get a separate number and pick up the phone to talk to the seller directly.

"It all looked so legitimate. If I hadn't trusted my gut and made that call, I would've been had hook, line and sinker and I like to think myself as careful when buying online. I cancelled my credit card to be extra sure they didn't have any of my details.

" Also, I'd advise use an extra layer of protection, be it a credit card or PayPal, which operates a dispute system. Scams are getting more and more sophisticated by the day, and personal details can easily be compromised."

In a statement, Booking.com said: "If a security concern is raised by our partners, our teams will aim to work with the partner to ensure support and advice is provided.

"Should a customer have any concern about a payment message, we ask them to carefully check back the payment policy details on their booking confirmation to be sure that this message is legitimate or to check with Booking.com customer service team if in any doubt.

"In this case, we are pleased to hear that the customer did not fall victim to this scam."

However, Kel said she is disappointed with the response and won't be using Booking.com again

"Scams are becoming highly personalised and use legitimate details to bypass usual security checks.

"The lack of communication from booking.com after they became aware of the scam and the response felt like they were pushing all the responsibility back on the customer with no support or customer care, even though it was their platform that was compromised.

"Companies like booking.com have an ethical and practical obligation to proactively communicate security threats to their users when they are made aware of a compromise."