• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to footer

Travel Magazine

Top Travel Destinations in Pictures

  • Travel Advertising
  • Make a Contribution
  • Contact

BBB Scam Alert: Watch out for airfare scams when booking your next trip

July 8, 2021 By Travel Magazine Tagged With: airfare scams

San Francisco, CA. BBB is issuing a warning for those that are looking to travel this summer. With the availability of COVID-19 vaccines throughout the country, travel is coming back. That’s great news for summer vacation plans… and scammers. BBB Scam Tracker 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!

In either case, you call the airline to follow up about your flight. After talking to an agent, you find that they have no record of your booking. It turns out you accidentally purchased tickets through a scam website or a phony customer service number. One victim told BBB Scam Tracker: “I received a phone call right after [I booked the flight] stating that they wanted $100 per passenger to finalize my flight.” Then, after calling the airline to complain, the victim discovered that “the flight wasn’t available to begin with. The flight was never booked… this company just charged my card.”

How to Avoid Travel Scams
Do your research. If you come across a company you haven’t dealt with before, research it before making any purchases. Look on BBB.org for reviews and feedback from previous customers.

Double-check the URL before you enter personal and payment information. It can be easy to click on a sponsored ad or imposter website without noticing. Before you enter any sensitive information, double-check that you are on the right website and that the link is secure. (Secure links start with “https://” and include a lock icon on the purchase page. Learn more at BBB.org/BBBSecure.)

Be wary of third-party websites. Some websites appear to offer a legitimate service but are only fronts for a scam. Be suspicious of websites with no working customer service number and no physical address. Typos and grammatical errors can be indications of a scammer’s handiwork, too.

Make online purchases with your credit card. Fraudulent charges made on a credit card can usually be disputed, whereas that might not be the case with other payment methods. Unfortunately, there is no way to get back the personal information you may have shared.

For More Information
To learn more about planning a getaway during COVID-19, check out this tip from BBB. For ways to protect yourself from travel scams, go to BBB.org/TravelScam. Read more about customer service number scams.

Stay one step ahead of scammers by subscribing to BBB’s weekly Scam Alert emails.

If you’ve been a victim of an airline ticket or other travel scam, please report your experience at BBB.org/ScamTracker. By doing so you can help others to avoid falling prey to scammers.

ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. There are local, independent BBBs across the United States, Canada and Mexico, including BBB Serving the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern Coastal California, which was founded in 1927 and serves 13 counties.

Filed Under: Travel Guide Tagged With: airfare scams

Footer

Recent Posts

  • THE ROYAL SONESTA BRAND IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR FRANCHISING
  • What Labor Day Travel Data Tells Us About the State of Travel
  • Travel is a mess all over the world
  • World’s most livable cities
  • Hop On Hop Off Bus Tours Announces Athens Tour Routes
  • Hop On Hop Off Bus Tours Offers Tours of London Landmarks
  • Why do people love cruises?
  • Spain experiencing a heat wave
  • What was it like to be on a cruise ship as Covid-19 was all the rage?
  • Summer is Here: The Raft of the Medusa

Travel Market

The maiden voyage of one of the world’s biggest cruise ships may be to a scrapyard
Travel Insurance: Is It Actually Worth Buying?
Airbus CEO says business travel will return almost to pre-pandemic levels because people want to fly again
June U.S. Travel Agency Air Ticket Sales Pass $4 Billion
IBM Consumer Study Points to Potential Recovery of Retail and Travel Industries, as Consumers Receive the COVID-19 Vaccine
Eurofins opens Europe-wide COVID-19 testing centre network to facilitate summer travel
CDC is still banning U.S. cruises
Deloitte: Leisure Travel to Take Off This Summer
Dubai named most popular destination of 2022 by Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards
Singapore accounts for one-third of global cruise travelers

Media Partners

  • Travel Marketing
  • Virtual Travel Guide
Travel startup Traveloka scores $300 million of financing
New Report from Vacasa Uncovers Holiday and Winter Travel Trends
Greyhound Providing Free Bus Tickets Home for Runaways this Holiday Season
Holland America Line Sees Record Black Friday Bookings in the U.S.
Island Princess of Princess Cruises Embarks in Haifa Port
Why Europeans have longer vacations than Americans
Adventures by Disney to Debut Its First-Ever Adriatic Sea Expedition Cruise in 2024
Costa Toscana on the Middle East Cruise
Island Princess, a cruise ship of Princess Cruises, arrives at dawn to Haifa Port
Winter beach destinations are once again becoming a popular choice for travelers
A local’s guide to Madrid
How to travel the world, but stay in one place: exotic and serene destinations
The fifth bull run at Pamplona’s San Fermín Festival
Taiwan Launches Virtual Event Showcasing Taiwan’s Family Travel Offerings with Appearances from Special Guests
Marriott Bonvoy Encourages Travelers to Switch into Vacation Mode with New Summer Openings Worth Logging Off For
Unique collection of classical statues is on display in Milan
Lufthansa is preparing another wave of flight cancellations
Saint-Malo, Brittany, has the highest tides in Europe
Saint-Émilion, France
Best UK activity holidays and summer camps for teenagers

Copyright © 2013 TravelMagazine.org

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT