Federal Trade Commission Warns Travelers To Not Post About Their Canceled Flights. Here’s Why.

Recently, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a warning to travelers not to post about their canceled or delayed flights on social media.

But why?

According to the FTC, scams are being used against people because of this.

When someone posts that their flight is canceled or delayed and they ask the airline for help on social media, scammers are contacting them instead.

These scammers will do one of two things.

1. Ask for information about your flight, including your confirmation number, bank account information, phone number, etc.
2. Send you to a fake website to have you answer personal questions that they use to steal your identity or use your accounts.

There is a great thread breaking down the scam on X by Jason Rabinowitz.

What’s even scarier is that this thread was from 10 months ago. It’s been an ongoing issue.

Yes, I’m hunting for airline scam bots!

It seems you’re most likely to be targeted if you mention an airline with its @ name, and also use keywords like “help” or “canceled.”

Lufthansa seems to be most targeted. The scammer will DM you and attempt to migrate over to Whatsapp. https://t.co/9b6ef88Ikh pic.twitter.com/LjMXUmVUso

— Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) October 5, 2023

Be EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS when seeking customer support from any company on Twitter these days. Look for the gold checkmark since we know the blue checkmark means nothing now. But some airlines don’t even have that.

Best bet? Find the airline’s @ name on its website and DM directly.

— Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) October 5, 2023

Here is the statement from the FTC and how to avoid getting scammed:

“…Scammers crawl social media looking for posts from upset travelers. They reach out to them through fake social media accounts and pretend to be an airline customer service representative who’s there to help. The scammers ask passengers for a slew of information, like their booking confirmation number, phone number, or bank account. Or they send passengers to a spoofed site that harvests their personal information and use it to steal the passenger’s identity or rack up charges on their accounts.

If you’re dealing with travel troubles, here’s how to avoid getting re-routed to an airline impersonator:

• Log in to your airline account and contact customer service through the airline’s official app, website, chat, or phone number.
• If you’re at the airport, speak to a customer service representative in person.
• If you reach out through social media, find the airline’s official social media page on their website. Look for a verification symbol or badge. And never give out personal information on social media.

If someone stole your personal information, go to IdentityTheft.gov to report it and get recovery steps. And report imposters to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.”

I hope this helps. Please share with your friends and family that may be traveling in the near future, or anyone you know that has had this happen to them.

What do you think? Comment and let us know!

Source: USA Today