Airline Ticket Scam: Tips & Strategies to remain secure

Posted on: Apr 8, 2024 | 3 mins | Written by: HDFC ERGO Team

Airline Ticket Scam: Tips & Strategies to remain secure

Thousands of people buy airline tickets every day. It's a simple process, isn't it? Then there's no way one can get scammed buying a flight ticket. That's what everyone thought until Interpol revealed this ongoing airline ticket scam. It came as a shock to several buyers. But what's more important is many are aware of how this works and how to protect yourself from it. If you still don't know the airline scam, keep reading. Find out how to protect yourself and your family from getting trapped in this. Let's start by understanding how this scam actually works.

What is an Airline Ticket Scam?

Cybercriminals buy several flight tickets with stolen, lost, or compromised credit cards. And later they sell these tickets to anyone who will buy. The buyers don't know how these tickets were purchased in the first place because the scammers hide the purchase details when they forward the tickets to these buyers.

They innocently buy these because they are either available at discounted prices or are available just a few hours before the flight departs. Most of these buyers don't even have cyber insurance to protect against such threats.

These cyber criminals don't contact any buyers individually. Rather, they create these seemingly authentic websites and social media pages. They pose as a reputed travel agency or set up a completely new agency. They don't have any registration or certifications.

But people don't usually verify that. So, it becomes easier for these scammers to loot people.

When a person buys such a ticket from these scammers, there's always a risk that someone might have reported the stolen card that was used for purchase. So, there's a chance that the credit card company could reverse the payment. This will void the ticket.

Also, if the police track down the purchase, you are at risk of being charged with possession of stolen goods. Or they could also charge you with being an accessory to the crime.

So, how can you detect such an airline ticket scam?

How to Detect Fraud Discounts?

There are telltale signs to detect such airline ticket fraud. You just have to be looking for them. You might not even suspect a thing if you are not looking carefully. And that's what makes this scam more dangerous. These signs are common for most scamming agencies:

• Last-minute flight tickets for sale

Most of these scammers sell last-minute flight tickets because people are more desperate during these times. Since they are looking for a last-minute ticket, they have to go somewhere urgently. And they are willing to buy available tickets one way or another. So, if you are buying a last-minute ticket, ensure the seller sends you purchase information.

• Cash payments or bank transfers

Almost all genuine agencies accept credit cards for booking flight tickets. So, if an agency or an individual refuses card payment and asks for upfront cash or bank transfers, you could be walking into a scam.

• Unusually low ticket prices

If you find an online aeroplane ticket sold for a huge discount, you might be buying an air ticket fake. Or the seller must have obtained it, not the legal way. It's best to avoid such high discounts, especially during the holiday season.

• Invalid contact details

Check the contact number and address provided by the seller. Most agencies have registered these details on their websites or social media pages. Verify if both of those are true. A false address could be an indication of an unregistered company.

You must steer clear of such scammers at all costs. It's also a good practice to get cyber insurance for family to protect against rip-offs like these. More ways to be safe from this fraud are discussed below.

How to Be Safe?

To be safe from such fraud, you need to

• Buy tickets directly from the airline’s website.

• If you are buying from a travel agency, ensure they are legitimate.

• Make financial transactions on secure web pages with a “https” at the beginning.

• Buy cyber insurance for working professionals if you are purchasing on behalf of your company.

• Check the final payment amount matches the purchase amount.

• Review the purchase terms and conditions before making the payment.

Conclusion

And that sums up the air ticket fraud. These frauds are possible because people are not being careful with their online transactions. Sharing credit card details on insecure sites could breach your privacy. Buying from such websites could also put you at risk. You might get caught up with the officials without realising what you did wrong. So, buy your airline tickets safely.

Disclaimer The above information is for illustrative purposes only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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