In this scam, the caller/sender offers a discounted room rate below the VRMA rate of $189/night and asks for credit card information to secure the reservation. 

While we do not know of any exhibitors who have provided credit card information, we want to stress that the most secure way to book your room is through the hotel's secure reservations website or by calling the reservations desk at 1-877-734-2726 and mentioning the VRMA Annual Conference. (The discounted rate of $189/night expires Sept. 26.) 

In these scams, the caller/sender says they are with the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina or that they are with a third party company calling on behalf of VRMA. 

VRMA does NOT provide an attendee list to the host hotel and does NOT work with a third party company to handle reservations, so you should never receive a direct solicitation from anyone asking you to make or change a hotel reservation. 

We believe that the scammers target conferences in specific markets, and then review conference websites to identify and contact exhibitors listed on these sites.

Should you receive a phone call asking you to book a room for our event, do NOT provide sensitive information to these callers. If you have provided financial information to anyone who has offered to book hotel rooms on your behalf, you should contact your financial institution immediately and dispute the charges.

Again, while we do not know of any members who have been a victim of the scam, we wanted to protect you from the possibility and ensure you are aware of VRMA's protocols regarding hotel reservations. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. 

Sincerely,

VRMA Executive Director