Marriott International has issued a warning about fraudsters using its brand.
It says it has been made aware of a series of fraudulent telephone calls being made in different parts of the world where the caller offers a free stay at a Marriott hotel to entice the person taking the call to listen to a sales pitch unrelated to Marriott.
"This practice, known as ‘scamming’, typically incorporates a company’s branding in order to get someone to provide personal information or buy a product or service," it said.
"Marriott International has a long-standing commitment to protecting the privacy of the personal information that is entrusted to us. Marriott has not provided any information to the parties involved in these fraudulent calls.
"If you receive a suspicious telephone call, especially for a contest you did not enter, we urge you not to provide any personal information, especially credit card information. Instead, simply end the call and report it."
