Airline travel is back in full swing, but scammers are taking advantage of increased flight cancellations with a new con. Josh Planos with the Better Business Bureau of Nebraska says there have been several reports of scammers creating fake airline ticket booking sites or customer service numbers to charge travelers for rescheduling fake flights.
“If you are buying airfare, use caution and double-check the URL or phone number before providing your credit card information,” Planos says. He says there are a couple of different ways that scammers operate.
“While doing an online search for cheap flights, 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,” Planos says. “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. This is something a legitimate company would never do.”
He says 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 more money out of you.
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 nothing was wrong with your original flight. The message was a scam, and you just gave your credit card details to a con artist.
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