Q – (7.21.25) – Am I imagining it or are online scammers, like the ones who have created fake online hotel booking sites now training their efforts on airline ticketing? I just don’t know where to search for air schedules and fares anymore. You think you are dealing with an actual airline or a certified air travel agent – but often the phone numbers don’t match. Is this my paranoia or is this a “thing”.
A – You are actually understating what is happening. There are now several thousand online airline booking sites that are run by overseas professional scammers posing as as actual airlines or air-issuing travel agencies.
Often they book real flights but add on hefty fees that are falsely said to come from the airline -but are just tagged on. The primary goals of these companies is to receive and sell your credit card information. Flights booked by these online companies are often cancelled by the airline without the passengers knowledge.
They are often adept at changing the contact information in Google’s “Knowledge Panel” which is that nice box that appears on the right side of the page during a Google search.
This is a real and growing problem. So here are some first steps to avoiding the fraud:
01 – Always verify that you are using the actual phone number of the airline. Remember that online listings and ads mean nothing. Many of them are fraudulent. There are hundreds of companies selling phony web sites to anxious buyers.
02 – Always use the URL address box at the top of the search engine. If you see words that are different than the airline’s name – walk away quickly. Check with Google to see if the site has any negative comments.
03 – Always pay by credit card – never by bank draft etc. That affords you a much higher level of protection.
04 – Always work with the airline reservations number directly. They sell what is in their computer system. No one can sell you a ticket that isn’t in their system. The staff in airline res centers is often outsourced. In many cases they are travel agents under contract to the airline. Always verify who you are speaking with before beginning any transaction. Keep a list of the best airline reservation numbers available to clients of some of the better travel agencies or copy information from one of the leading consumer travel magazines.
Always remember that the internet is largely based on the sale of one particular commodity – your personal information. It is worth money. Always assume a 1-800 travel firm is a scam unless you are completely satisfied that it is not.
