Straight Talk: Airfare scams targeting travelers
Airline industry profits are projected to exceed $25 billion in 2024, according to the International Air Transport Association, but scammers continue taking advantage of consumers by fabricating flight cancellation notices.
BBB Scam Tracker has received multiple reports of scammers creating fake airline ticket booking sites or customer service numbers to charge travelers for rescheduling fake flights.
How the scam works
While searching for cheap flights online, you come across what seems like a great deal with a major airline. You book the flight – either through the website or by calling a customer support number.
But shortly after making the payment, you receive a call from the company saying there's been a sudden price increase or an extra charge to finalize your booking. It turns out that you accidentally purchased tickets through a scam website or a phony customer service number. The price increase is a way to get you to pay more money.
One victim reported to BBB Scam Tracker, "Made flight reservations confirmed then they told us flight canceled but could give us same ticket at double cost. Advertised same flight 2 days in a row at Lower cost." In another example of this scam, a victim reported, "Tried to purchase discounted airfare. Came across ravefare.com. Put card number in and was charged more than the original amount stated. Received an email that my tickets were being processed. I have never received the tickets and no one answers the number I call."
In another similar con, your original flight was real, but the cancellation notice is fake. You get an email or text message claiming that your upcoming flight has been canceled and you need to rebook. When you call the number provided, the “airline” offers to book you a new ticket – for a price. However, if you follow up with real airline support, you’ll discover that your original flight was not canceled. The message was a scam, and you just gave your credit card details to a con artist.
Another victim told BBB Scam Tracker: "I thought that I bought airline tickets with United Airlines through a company that sells at discounted prices. They called me shortly after I bought my tickets and said that the flight had been canceled. They wanted permission to put me on another flight with Southwest and said it would be 80 dollars extra … It turned out that United Airlines never canceled a flight. I tried to call this company and leave a message, and I tried to email them to no avail. It turns out that the airlines were unaware of this ticket purchase.”
How to avoid travel scams
• Do your research on companies you have not dealt with before. Look on BBB.org for reviews and feedback from previous customers. As a safe practice, use travel businesses or agencies that are BBB Accredited.
• Double check flight details before calling support. Scammers are blasting out fake airline cancellation emails and text messages that can easily be mistaken for the real deal. Confirm that the information in the message – such as the flight and reservation numbers – is correct before calling customer support.
• Confirm the URL before you enter personal and payment information. It can be easy to click on a sponsored ad or impostor website without noticing. Before entering any sensitive information, double-check that you are on the right website and that the link is secure. Learn more at BBB.org/BBBSecure.
• Be wary of third-party websites. Be suspicious of websites with an invalid customer service number or physical address, typos, and grammatical errors.
• Make online purchases with your credit card. Fraudulent charges on a credit card can usually be disputed, whereas that might not be the case with other payment methods.
FOR MORE INFORMATION – For ways to protect yourself from travel scams, go to BBB.org/Travel. If you have been a victim of an airline ticket or other travel scam, please report your experience at BBB.org/ScamTracker. By doing so, you can help others to avoid falling prey to scammers.
For BBB INFORMATION – Visit BBB.org or call us at 330-454-9401 to look up a business, file a complaint, write a customer review, read tips, find our events, follow us on social media, and more!
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Avoid falling for fake airfare scams. Check out these 5 tips
