United Airlines passenger gets scammed for over 17,000$
A United passenger lost $17,000 after a cancelled flight led to a scam, even though he dialed the official number. Call records don’t match, sparking fears of interception. Similar scams affect other airlines-passengers are urged to verify helplines directly from official websites.
CHICAGO - Imagine trying to cancel your flight and in return, end up losing $17,000. That's exactly what happened with a passenger trying to resolve a cancelled flight.
These scams succeed because travelers often rely on search engines to obtain customer care number instead of official airline portal.
Scammers often curate their contact and websites to exploit search engine results, tricking travelers into believing they are calling official airline customer support. Victims often believe they are speaking to airline officials when in reality, they are charged thousands of dollars for services which should have been free.
United Airlines $17,000 Scam
In this case, passenger dialed United to resolve the issue where his United's flight was cancelled and rescheduled on a partner carrier.
What makes this case unusual is that phone records actually confirm that the passenger called United Airlines. United also confirmed to receiving the call. But United's call log show the call lasted 12 minutes, while passenger's record shows the call lasted 3 hours.
This makes you wonder if scammers somehow intercepted or redirected the call, even though the passenger dialed the official number.
He was told he needed to pay $17,000 upfront to the airline for new tickets, which would be refunded by United. The payment displayed charge under 'Airline Fare' instead of 'United Airlines'.
The passenger stated that he 'trusted in that system'. He also mentioned, 'The more I looked into it, the more clear it became that it was a scam via United's system somehow. How that happened, I have no idea.'
A United spokesperson told 9News, they are reviewing the matter thoroughly and they are committed to finding a solution for the passenger.
Similar incidents have also been reported with airlines like Singapore Airlines (SQ), Delta Airlines (DL), JetBlue Airways (B6), and Hawaiian Airlines (HA).
As passengers, always verify airlines' helpline number from their official websites. Confirm rebooking and refund policies from airlines' website in case of cancellation.
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