Scammers targeting summer travelers with flight issues, BBB says
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - People are booking up and flying out, but the Better Business Bureau warns scammers are now using vacationers as easy targets.
Hundreds of flights have been delayed or canceled over the last several months. That has travelers desperate to get to their destinations and back.
Now, many scammers are looking to cash in on your flying frustrations and get you to book something too good to be true.
“Obviously, people want to travel, they’re on a fixed budget, expenses are rising,” BBB President and CEO Barry Moore said.
The BBB is receiving multiple reports of scammers creating fake sites and fraudulent customer service phone lines to book flights.
“They’re selling flights that might not exist and/or overbooked or just fraudulent bookings,” Moore said. “They’ll get different forms of payment from you.”
One victim told the BBB they thought they bought a ticket with United Airlines through a third party that sells at discounted prices.
Then, the site called and told them that the flight was canceled and wanted more money to rebook. Turns out, this flight ticket wasn’t legit in the first place.
“They’re looking for too good to be true, let’s put it that way,” Moore said.
Some scammers send an email or text claiming an upcoming flight was canceled and providing a phone number to rebook and get a new ticket.
Moore says to avoid this do your research, read reviews and don’t trust third-party links.
“Use common sense and logic,” Moore said. “Just prepare yourself and protect yourself.”
The BBB scam tracker is a great tool to use if you’ve been a victim of one of these travel scams. If you want to report a scam, click here.
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