A very clever and costly new travel scam is doing the rounds, catching out people who are in the process of booking a holiday.
One couple reportedly lost over €13,000 after falling victim to a travel-related scam while trying to rearrange their flights.
The couple believed they were dealing with legitimate support after being told their schedule had changed and needed updating.
However, it later emerged that the assistance they received was fraudulent.
According to The Wall Street Journal, this particular scam began in the US when an American couple booked a flight from Philadelphia to Budapest in Hungary.
They arranged return flights through the German national airline Lufthansa.
They were later informed that a schedule change would cause them to miss a connecting flight in Frankfurt, and were advised to rebook or cancel.
Searching online for a customer service number, they called one they found through Google. However, the number was not legitimate.
It was part of a scam in which fraudsters pose as official airline support to deceive customers.
The number connected the holidaymakers to someone claiming to be a customer service representative for Lufthansa.
The caller advised them that replacement flights would need to be booked through Air Canada and Qantas, suggesting these were suitable alternatives.
They were told the new tickets would cost $12,132, significantly higher than the original booking, but were assured the amount would be refunded. Relying on that information, they agreed to proceed with the payment.
The couple became suspicious when they spotted an additional $1,500 charge for a Southwest Airlines flight booked under a totally different name.
They then contacted Lufthansa again, this time using an official customer service number, and had their original travel arrangements reinstated.
However, on reporting the scam to their bank, they learned they would not have the 12 thousand plus dollars refunded because they had authorised the payment.
They did, however, get the second $1,500 charge refunded.
The couple went on their trip, but hope their story will encourage others to use caution when traveling.
They have also filed a police report in hopes of getting their money refunded.
On its website, Lufthansa warns that fraudulent pages purporting to be Lufthansa contacts can be found on the Internet via standard search engines.
‘These aim to access the (personal) details of our customers.’
‘Please use only the channels listed on lufthansa.com to contact us, and enter your details only on lufthansa.com. Always access the website manually by typing in your browser’s address bar, and do not follow any link that has not been made available by Lufthansa.’
