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Scammers are swooping in to take advantage of distressed airline passengers at an alarming rate. Here’s what happened when one traveler accidentally dialed into a fake British Airways call center – more than once.
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Ron Samborsky and his family were on their way to Europe to board Norwegian Cruise Line’s Breakaway… until they weren’t. After American Airlines canceled their flight and offered no replacement until the next day, the trip was in serious jeopardy.
In a panic, Samborsky called what he thought was British Airways and a helpful agent immediately came to his rescue.
The customer service representative quickly found an available non-stop flight to Spain for the group of seven. It would leave LAX in just hours, but it came with an eye-popping $12,516 price tag.
The agent apologized for the elevated cost but assured Samborsky that he could apply for a partial refund later. He explained that there were no other options, and the door to this one could close at any moment.
With time running out and faced with no other choice, Samborsky agreed to the replacement flight. After processing the jumbo payment, the man on the other end of the phone provided detailed flight information.
That’s when things started getting weird.
Planning a dream Mediterranean cruise
Early this year, Samborsky and his wife had begun planning this trip as a graduation gift for their granddaughter.
“She’s a very special young lady and has always dreamed of going to Europe,” he told me. “But finances made it out of reach. However, this year, her grandmother and I decided to cash in some of our retirement funds and make that dream come true.”
Not only would the Samborskys make their granddaughter’s dream a reality, but they would bring the extended family as well.
Taking a cruise would be the perfect way for the European first-timers to get a great overview of the region. They chose a Norwegian Cruise Line ten-night Mediterranean itinerary that would begin and end in Barcelona.
Samborsky says he carefully planned and confirmed the entire trip, including the cruise, flights and hotels in January. The family spent the next six months happily looking forward to their dream adventure.
They had no idea the curveball American Airlines had in store for them.
A flight cancellation vacation disaster
On the day the family was scheduled to start their trip, they arrived early to the airport. The first leg of their journey would take them from LAX to London’s Heathrow. From there, they would take a separate (non-connected) flight on British Airways to Barcelona.
“We originally had a five-hour layover at Heathrow,” Samborsky explained. “I thought that would give us plenty of time to go through immigration and make our next flight.”
And it probably would have been fine had their American Airlines flight from LAX not been delayed and then canceled.
Samborsky says in all his planning, he never even considered the possibility of a flight cancellation. So when the American Airlines gate staff suddenly announced the family’s flight wouldn’t be operating, he was momentarily stunned.
“It was like the wind was instantly taken out of our sails,” he recalled. “American Airlines agents said we would be rebooked for the next day on the same flight.”
The next day would be too late for this family.
“I sourced the British Airways customer service on Google.”
Determined to save their cruise, Samborsky rejected AA’s replacement flight. He asked to be put on an alternative flight that evening, but an agent explained it was not possible.
Not ready to admit defeat, Samborsky decided to call British Airways. He thought the airline might be able to find alternative ways to connect with their BA flight the next day.
I sourced the number I called for British Airways from Google. There was no wait at all. I asked the man if I had reached British Airways, and he said I had. He said he could definitely help me. I was relieved to have someone on the line who could assist.
Ron Samborsky
Samborsky proceeded to tell the friendly man his family’s predicament. The man purporting to be a British Airways agent, assured his customer he could help.
After a few minutes, the man came back on the line and announced his success. He told Samborsky he had no time to think about it. The replacement flight would be leaving within a few hours.
“I had no choice,” Samborsky recalled. “I was just relieved to be able to tell the family that we would be airborne soon. We weren’t going to miss our cruise.”
Why would a British Airways agent book a customer on Delta?
The man on the phone processed Samborsky’s payment and then provided a confirmation with the flight information. That confirmation contained a glaring clue to the true identity of the person on the phone.
The flight wasn’t on British Airways. It was on Delta Air Lines – a completely unaffiliated carrier.
But that detail raised no red flags for Samborsky. He was just pleased that their trip seemed to be back on course.
The family quickly made their way to the check in counter for their Delta Air Lines flight. They soon had their boarding passes and, for the second time in one day, made their way to the gate.
The Samborskys boarded the aircraft and settled into their pricey economy seats. The flight took off right on time and ten hours later landed in Barcelona.
The Samborskys’ granddaughter got her first glimpse of Europe as the grateful family made their way to the cruise terminal. They arrived in plenty of time for embarkation and soon were sailing toward France aboard Norwegian Breakaway.
By all accounts, the rest of the journey was smooth sailing.
Related: British Airways denied me boarding by mistake. Help!
Still not recognizing the scam airline call center
After the Samborskys returned home, he got to thinking about the refund the British Airways agent mentioned.
“The guy told me that I couldn’t ask for a refund from British Airways until after the trip,” Samborsky explained. “So when we got home, I called back right away to make the formal request.”
Using the same number for British Airways as he had used at LAX weeks before, Samborsky called back. He was surprised when he reached the same agent. That was an additional red flag Samborsky missed. But since he wasn’t looking for red flags, instead he simply saw it as an unusual coincidence.
That left him vulnerable to one more scheme from the con artist pretending to be an agent of British Airways.
I asked the person, whom I thought was a helpful agent, about the $3,000 refund. That would be for the unused British Airways ticket. He told me that I would have to pay an additional $150 per ticket as a cancellation fee. After I paid, he could process the refund for the balance. My wife and I were just happy to be getting some money back. I paid the fee.
Unfortunately, the couple would not be getting a refund for the balance.
Samborsky had just handed over an additional $1,050 to the bad actor who had already scammed him out of thousands of dollars. He just didn’t know it yet.
Consumer Rescue investigates: That’s not British Airways
When I received Samborsky’s request for help, it had been weeks since he paid the cancellation fee to “British Airways.” He wanted help shaking loose his refund and he also hoped to find out if American Airlines owed him anything additional.
Samborsky was still under the impression that he had been dealing with British Airways. In fact, in his initial email to me, he praised the agent for his crafty intervention.
By the grace of God, we were able to reach a British Air agent who found us a flight from LAX to Boston connecting with a non-stop from Boston to Barcelona on Delta leaving early the following morning with an arrival time in Barcelona early enough to allow us to get to the cruise ship in time to save our vacation.
His primary complaint was about American Airlines canceling their flight at the last minute, leaving them stranded.
But the more Samborsky spoke to me, the clearer the picture became. I asked him to check his credit card account to see who was initiating all the charges.
As I suspected, none of the charges were from British Airways. Samborsky had been dealing with a scammer from the beginning.
Even worse, we were about to discover that this con artist was still busy behind the scenes wreaking more havoc.
Related: Help! We are victims of a Vrbo bait and switch scam in London
Reporting the scam customer service to the real British Airways
The scam call center pretending that victimized the Samborskys operates under the name “FareTickets.”
The couple’s credit card statement showed that the Delta Air Lines tickets cost just a bit over $8,000. The fraudster charged a nearly $600 service fee for each of the seven tickets. Later, when Samborsky made the mistake of calling this bad guy again, he put through another charge of $1,050.
In the end, this scammer drained over $5,000 from the Samborskys.
I asked the couple to call British Airways to find out what had happened to their original flight from London to Barcelona. That’s when we learned the extent of this scammer’s chutzpah.
He [the scammer] called BA pretending to be me and asked for a medical goodwill gesture refund. British Airways told him that they would only consider it if he had a doctor’s note. Incredibly, he then provided one that explained my ‘medical emergency.’ The airline granted a credit that could be used by anyone.
Ron Samborsky
There is no doubt this fraudster was intending to steal that credit as well. He had called Samborsky with the bad news just a few days before that his refund request was rejected.
The good news: Fake British Airways is getting nothing
I’m pleased to report that this couple’s story has a happy ending. Even with all the ups, downs and twists and turns the Samborskys have been made whole.
First, British Airways thanked the couple for reporting the fake customer service thief. The carrier canceled the travel credit so the bad guy’s plans for it are foiled.
Then Citibank came through for the Samborskys in a big way. After reviewing the evidence, the bank permanently reversed all the charges from FareTickets.
The Samborskys couldn’t be happier about this outcome. Now they can spend all their time savoring the memories of the dream trip the family enjoyed aboard Norwegian Breakaway – without the dark cloud of an expensive scam overshadowing it.
Michelle,
We were only able to get our credit card company (CitiBank) to refund all fraudulent charges [because of] your informed advice. It was crucial to make a satisfactory recovery.
You are an invaluable resource to the global traveler and have a permanent place not just in our iPhone address book, but in our hearts as well. All the best to you and your family!!
Ron Samborsky
You’re very welcome, Ron. Cheers!
How to avoid scammers if your international flight is canceled
It’s no secret that fake airline customer service centers target travelers in distress. These con artists depend on catching their victims off guard. Don’t let yourself become prey to this expensive scam.
Here’s how to navigate a last minute flight cancellation in a way that won’t leave you vulnerable to fraudsters.
1. Slow down when your airline cancels your flight
I’ve fielded requests for help from numerous victims of scam call centers over the years. One thing they all have in common is that in a rush to solve a flight problem, they missed clues that the number they called wasn’t the airline’s official number.
Related: Fake United Airlines customer service charged me a $1,750 service fee. Help!
2. Avoid rushing to social media to complain in real time
Passengers frequently turn to social media for guidance during a flight delay or cancellation. Scammers know this and troll Facebook groups and pages that appear to represent various airlines. Their only purpose is to pretend to be a friendly agent who is ready to help.
Posting a real time complaint about a flight delay or cancellation on social media is not an efficient way to fix your problem. Remember, there are hundreds of other passengers also experiencing the same situation. You need to work directly through official channels at the airline to get yourself rebooked.
But if you do decide to try the social media route, make absolutely certain that you’re only posting to the official account of the airline. Never respond to a private message from a vague screen name like “Airline customer support” or “help desk.”
3. Contact the airline through the app that you’ve downloaded
The better way to get rebooking help is to turn to the official app of your airline. By downloading the airline’s app to your phone, you will always ensure that you’ll have a direct line to the carrier. Often, airlines will automatically send rebooking options through the app.
4. Call your travel insurance company’s hotline
If you have travel insurance, and I hope you do, make sure to carry the number for the company’s 24-hour assistance line. Your insurance company has a vested interest in helping you get on your way during a bump in your travel road. Don’t overlook this valuable resource when you’re searching for someone to contact.
Related: We missed our Princess Cruise. Did we really just lose $21,000?
5. Ask your travel advisor for help
One sure fire way to dodge fake customer service entirely is by using a professional travel advisor. Your agent can take care of all the footwork if you get hit by a surprise cancellation and need a replacement flight ASAP. Doing this will help ensure that you won’t be left scrambling at the airport with hundreds of other passengers all needing the exact same thing.
The American Society of Travel Advisors’ VeriVacation tool can connect you with a professional who specializes in your destination if you don’t already have a trusted agent.
The bottom line
Unfortunately, scammers are finding more ways than ever to trick panicking customers into calling fake numbers, leading them to scam customer service centers.
But by arming yourself with the tools to reach official channels at your airline, before you need to use them, you’ll be able to dodge these bad actors.
Of course, if you’ve already been victimized and your credit card company isn’t seeing things your way, Consumer Rescue is here to help. Our assistance is always fast, friendly and free of charge. (Michelle Couch-Friedman, founder of Consumer Rescue)
Before you go: Here’s how fake Carnival customer service is scamming passengers
