Scammers pose as airline customer support to help with your complaints and then steal your credit card info
Fraudsters are taking advantage of people venting on social media to inflict even more damage.
A new scam tactic has surfaced, where cybercriminals impersonate airline customer support on social media platforms to steal sensitive payment data from frustrated passengers, according to security firm Check Point. The deceptive campaign has been ongoing since 2024, with thousands of fraudulent accounts being created daily to target passengers who have had negative experiences with airlines.
These scammers capitalize on the frustrations of travelers by posing as airline representatives in online discussions on platforms like X, Facebook, and Instagram. Once a customer expresses dissatisfaction, the criminals jump in, offering fake assistance and leading the victim to share personal and payment information, often via private messaging channels like WhatsApp.
The goal varies from case to case, ranging from obtaining credit card details to creating a database of victim information for future exploitation. While Check Point isn't certain when the scam began, they have identified some of the fake accounts dating back to 2024, with the majority appearing in that year and the following years.
This suggests that the scam has gained momentum over the past two years, with hundreds of new accounts surfacing daily and new deceptive methods continuously emerging.
Written by urgent.news from TechRadar's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
