For David Price, being homeless for the last two years hasn't meant sleeping on the street or even in a shelter. Instead, Price has opted for extended stays in some of Florida's most luxurious resorts.
The Ritz Carlton? Price stayed there. Hard Rock Hotel? There, too -- and the Loews Portofino Bay as well. According to Orlando police, he may have spent time at other resorts in the area as well, without paying for any of it.
WFTV reports Price had been sneaking into hotel rooms after guests left, then calling the front desk and extending the prior occupant's stay, charging all extra fees and expenses to the credit card that the hotel had on file.
The 30-year-old has been linked to a nearly $9,000 bill placed on an Ohio man's credit card at the Portofino Bay Hotel in Orlando, Fla. "I don't know how he got in my room or how he got my debit card, but he got like the best wines, the best restaurants, room service," the victim, Joseph Barak, to Local 10.
Price was arrested Friday night after he tried to extend a reservation that had been made by a hotel worker, according to WFTV. Price faces charges of grand theft and obtaining food and lodging in attempt to defraud an innkeeper, according to ABC News.
USA Today reports that Disney-owned hotels have begun reviewing their records in light of Price's alleged actions.
"There's a flaw in the hotel's policy when it comes to properly checking identification," Robert Siciliano, a McAfee Security Systems identity theft expert, explained to ABC News. "[Scammers] come off as being calm, cool, and collected to the receptionist or the desk clerk, and they are believable."
Siciliano told ABC that upscale hotels are so focused on facilitating every aspect of their guest's stay that security concerns may be inadvertently overlooked.
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