Woman pranked by fake hotel call involving fentanyl exposure, broken window

Published: Feb. 21, 2025 at 6:14 PM CST|Updated: Feb. 21, 2025 at 6:23 PM CST
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OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KCTV) - A strange situation from a hotel room has one family warning others.

Trisha Nowak stayed in the Hilton Garden Inn with her daughter and her friend for a volleyball tournament. They’re originally from Las Vegas.

On Sunday, Feb. 16, at midnight, Nowak said she got a call about fentanyl exposure in the hallway, and it all turned out to be false.

“I was woken up from a sound sleep, and the person said there was an emergency; go put a rag under the door, and I’ll explain what’s going on,” Nowak said.

Nowak said that the man claimed to be working the front desk and gave her a list of things to get up and do.

“Anytime I questioned him, asking him if this is really happening, like what’s going on, he just kept hurrying me,” Nowak said.

Things quickly escalated when she said the caller told her she needed to get fresh air into the room.

“Then he instructed me to go get the toilet tank top and break the window, which I did,” Nowak said.

Nowak said it took her a couple of times to break the window, and when she finally did, she said the caller was shocked that she did that. She then became suspicious, calling the front desk and, ultimately, the police.

“I wanted the police to come and make sure that the girls are safe,” Nowak said.

Overland Park police eventually showed up and cleared the hotel. They didn’t find any fentanyl.

Police confirmed to KCTV5 that this was a prank.

“I just needed to keep those girls safe,” Nowak said. “In that moment, it felt like it was really happening. I thought he was who he said he was and that I needed to do what I needed to do to keep those girls safe.”

“When people take advantage of other people, it’s wrong on all levels,” said Nowak’s husband, Oliver.

Feeling helpless thousands of miles away, he googled the situation and found several reported instances around the country where this has happened in the last decade.

“If some ability could be held, that would be awesome,” Oliver said. “But I know it’s difficult.”

The next day, the Nowaks got a receipt from their stay with a $500 charge for the broken window.

Nowak also told KCTV5 that they had to leave their hotel room that night and find another place to stay.

The couple said they are telling their story so that others will stay vigilant.

“Just crazy and embarrassing, but at the same time, he was convincing enough, especially when I’m half asleep,” Nowak said.

KCTV5 reached out to Hilton Garden Inn following this situation and did not get a response.