Q. We are researching airfare for a summer vacation. What tips may BBB provide?
A. With the COVID-19 vaccines rolling out, travel is coming back. That’s great news for summer vacation plans … and scammers. BBB Scam Tracker, bbb.org/scamtracker, is receiving reports of con artists creating fake airline ticket booking sites or customer service numbers. If you are buying airfare, use caution and double check the URL or phone number before providing your credit card information.
How the scam works
While doing an online search for cheap flights, you come across what seems like a great deal with a major airline. You book the flight – either through the website or by calling a customer support number – and receive a confirmation message. However, when you look more closely at the email, you notice that you never actually received your ticket.
In another version of this scam, you book a flight on a travel website offering deals on airfare. You pay with your credit card like normal. But shortly after making the payment, you receive a call from the company saying that there’s been a sudden price increase or an extra charge to finalize your booking. This is something a legitimate company would never do!