In recent years, popular events like the Pacific Veterinary Conference (PacVet) have increasingly been the targets of scammers, who focus their efforts on both event attendees and exhibitors.

Scammers might try to contact you with a supposedly better price for rooms at the convention. Called “room block poachers” and/or “room block pirates,” these businesses deploy a variety of techniques to divert event attendees away from booking with official room blocks and instead into other (sometimes fictitious) hotel bookings. Some of the techniques include:

1. Selling fake reservations and credit card fraud. The poacher/pirate may lead an event attendee to believe that they have made a reservation at a hotel for the convention. However, when the attendee arrives to the event, they will find that no reservation has been made and their credit cards have been charged by the poacher/pirate.

2. Booking the attendee outside of the block. Poachers/pirates may misrepresent themselves and entice attendees to book a room through them. Examples include the “bait and switch,” where they sell reservations that are lesser than what was promised (for example, far away from the event site), or saying that the official hotel blocks are full when they are not.

3. Trademark infringement. The poacher/pirate may utilize trademarked property of the event owner (such as the logo or logotype) in correspondence to attendees in order to appear to be an official agent for the event.

The CVMA is aware that such poachers/pirates have already been contacting potential PacVet attendees and confirmed sponsors. Please remember: NEVER click on a link sent through anyone outside of the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA). Only communicate with confirmed CVMA staff members.

As always, the CVMA contracts directly through the property of the Pacific Veterinary Conference—in this case, the Hyatt Regency Long Beach. We do not use a third-party registration or housing company, and the CVMA, PacVet, and/or the Hyatt Regency Long Beach will not contact you to make a hotel reservation without your prior request.

If you receive a suspicious email or phone call and have concerns or questions, please contact the CVMA at staff@cvma.net.