As if perilous air fares and canceled flights weren’t enough, consumers are also having to deal with bogus airline representatives trying to steal their money.
The thieves are doing it through email or text messages that tell you your upcoming flight has been scuttled and you will need to rebook, according to the Better Business Bureau.
Included in the message is a phone number to call, and once you do, the fake airline says it will book you a new ticket. You will, though, have to pay a fee.
Ultimately, you will learn nothing was wrong with your flight in the first place, but “you just gave your credit card details to a con artist,” the BBB says.
One victim described a somewhat different scheme in which she thought she was buying United Airlines tickets through a company that supposedly offered discounted prices. Shortly after she made the reservation, she got a call saying the flight had been canceled.
“They wanted permission to put me on another flight with Southwest and said it would be $80 extra,” she told the BBB. She learned there was no cancellation and, in fact, she had not really purchased the ticket.
Here are ways to avoid this, the BBB says:
• Some of the cancellation messages can appear to be real, so double check flight deals before taking any action. Also, check with the airlines through a contact method you find independently.
• Confirm the email’s URL to make sure you’re on the right website before entering any personal or…
