It’s not uncommon for flight disruptions to happen. When delays, cancellations, and missed connections occur, many travelers call customer service to avoid waiting in a long line at the airport. Before calling your airline’s customer service line, make sure you’re calling the official phone number. Otherwise, you could fall victim to a scam that costs money and wastes your time. A recent scam has been targeting travelers who need customer service assistance.
This scam could cost travelers money and more stress
Traveler and Twitter user @Shmuli recently shared his experience trying to contact Delta Air Lines customer service after his flight was canceled. Once he saw how long the customer service line was at the airport, he decided to place a call instead.
After Googling the phone number, he called in hopes of arranging an alternate flight. Unfortunately, he was dealing with a scammer instead of an official Delta staff member. The number he saw on the Google business listing for Delta was not the official number. Scammers had altered the Google listing to add a new phone number, which would lead travelers to a scam line instead of Delta.
As Shmuli talked with the agent on the line, he realized something wasn’t right when he was asked to provide his credit card details to book a new Delta flight. Luckily, he ended the call before providing payment information. He took to Twitter to warn other travelers of the scam.
Shmuli also showed examples of other Google business listings being altered with fake numbers. Like Delta, American Airlines and Southwest had similar scam numbers listed for the contact information for the airlines’ John F. Kennedy International Airport Google listings.
If you’ve ever had an unexpected flight disruption occur while traveling, you know how stressful it can be. When trying to get through to customer service quickly, it can be tempting to Google the phone number to avoid wasting time digging through the airline’s website to find the contact information you need. But this story demonstrates the danger of doing this.
Whether trying to reach an airline or any other company, it’s best to gather contact information from the official source when you need customer support. Otherwise, you may end up reaching a scammer who wants to trick you into parting ways with your money. Falling for a customer service scam like this could worsen an already-stressful situation.
Don’t be quick to provide payment information
When you provide payment information to a scammer, they can take your money. It’s not always easy to tell that you’re dealing with a fraudster. If you’re asked to provide payment information, take a moment to consider whether you’re potentially speaking with a scammer instead of a legitimate customer service representative. Trust your gut. If something feels off, it probably is.
Online scams constantly evolve, so you must be aware of stories like this to keep your personal finances and personal information safe. If you need to contact your airline’s customer service department while traveling, consider one of these methods instead of Googling customer service contact information:
- Contact the phone number listed on the official company website
- Contact the airline by sending a direct message on social media
- Wait to talk with a staff member at the airport (even if it takes extra time)
When viewing social media accounts and websites for companies, verify that you’re accessing a legitimate, official account. Scammers are getting better at deception in hopes of stealing money from unsuspecting people, so it doesn’t hurt to be extra cautious and verify legitimacy first. Hopefully sharing this news will reduce the number of travelers that are impacted by this scam.
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