I once stayed in a budget hotel during a road trip. Around 2 AM, the front desk called saying there was “an issue with my payment” and asked me to come down. Half-asleep, I almost went—but something felt off. I told them I’d handle it in the morning and hung up.
Next morning, the actual front desk clerk told me no one had called.
Police later said someone had been calling rooms from a stolen staff phone, trying to lure guests out. One guy on the floor below me never returned to his room.
