ScamScam A Scam is a confidence trick - a crime -  is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust through deception. Scams or confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, or greed and exploiting that. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men' - criminals) at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". A scam is a crime even if no money was lost. Basics: Airline Ticket FraudFraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain (money or other assets), or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compensation) or criminal law (e.g., a fraud perpetrator may be prosecuted and imprisoned by governmental authorities), or it may cause no loss of money, property, or legal right but still be an element of another civil or criminal wrong. The purpose of fraud may be monetary gain or other benefits, for example by obtaining a passport, travel document, or driver's license, or mortgage fraud, where the perpetrator may attempt to qualify for a mortgage by way of false statements. A fraud can also be a hoax, which is a distinct concept that involves deliberate deception without the intention of gain or of materially damaging or depriving a victim.

While doing an online search to find the cheapest flight to your destination, you come across a website offering a great deal. You haven’t heard of the company before, but the website looks legitimate and everything seems to be in order. When you begin the payment process, red flags start to appear.

In the most common version of the scam, you pay with your credit card. But shortly after making the payment, you receive a call from the company asking you to verify your name, address, banking information, or other personal details – something a legitimate company would never do.

What makes this scam so believable is, once you pay, you receive a confirmation code that can be verified with the airline. However, after a day or two, your reservation is canceled and the company that charged you disappears. It appears the scammers booked the flight and charged your card – only to cancel it shortly after and make off with your money.

Air Travel Ticket Fraud

Be wary of deals on airline tickets offering prices that sound ‘too good to be true’

Think you’ve found the deal of a lifetime when you see last-minute airline tickets available for just a fraction of the usual price?

Be careful before you buy, or you could wind up with no ticket and losing your money to criminals – a victim of Airline Ticket Fraud.

How does airline ticket fraud work?

• Criminals use stolen, compromised, or hacked credit card details to buy airline tickets
• The criminals offer these tickets for sale at bargain prices via professional-looking websites or social networking accounts that appear to be for legitimate travel agencies or agents
• The criminalCriminal A criminal is any person who through a decision or act engages in a crime. This can be complicated, as many people break laws unknowingly, however, in our context, it is a person who makes a decision to engage in unlawful acts or to place themselves with others who do this. A criminal always has the ability to decide not to break the law, or if they initially engage in crime to stop doing it, but instead continues. ‘travel agents’ ask for immediate payment, typically by cash, bank transfer or virtual currencies
• After receiving your payment, the criminal sends you the flight booking confirmation – with their original purchase details deleted

But What’s The Harm?

Not only can you lose your money, but there is more that can happen!

When you buy an airline ticket in this manner, you put your money directly into the hands of criminals – who use it to fund other serious crimes.

If the owner of the stolen credit card which was used by the criminal to make the initial purchase reports it before the scheduled flight, the ticket will be canceled by the airline and you will be unable to travel – you could even be arrested by the airport police under suspicion that you used the stolen credit card!

If the credit card owner reports the fraudulent purchase during your trip, you could be stranded with no way to return home or arrested on arrival.

Warning Signs A Ticket ‘Sale’ Could Be Fraud

There are some red flags to look out for when you see a flight to your dream destination advertised for an extremely low price:

Is the ticket price significantly cheaper than anywhere else? – Since they make 100% percent profit, criminals will offer bargain prices to entice you to take their “deal.’

Is the departure date in the next few days? – Criminals will offer fraudulently purchased tickets only one or two days before the flight (or even the same day) before the real credit card owner notices the fraud and cancels the ticket.

Are you asked to pay in cash or via bank transfer? – With these methods, your money is gone instantly and you have little recourse to get it back in case of fraud (in the case of a bank wire transfer, you might be able to get it back – it depends – read this.)

Does the travel agency’s website/social media account provide a full range of contact details, including a physical address and landline telephone number? – If not, do some research to confirm it is a legitimate, certified travel agency before purchase.

Tips For Making Safe Purchases

• Book airline tickets directly from the airline, or a reputable travel agency that is licensed/certified by your country’s relevant authorities.
• Only buy tickets online from websites with secure payment systems (e.g. “https” at the beginning of the web address) that are known internationally with zillions of reviews.
• Research the travel agency you intend to buy from. Do they have a legitimate website? Do they have positive or negative online reviews? Is there a way to contact them in case of issues?
• Check the Terms and Conditions before making a purchase, in particular, the refund policy and processes.
• Look for the logo of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on the company’s website – you can ask for their IATA ID.

TAGS: SCARS, Information About Scams, Anti-Scam, Scams, Scammers, Fraudsters, Cybercrime, Crybercriminals, Scam Victims, Online Fraud, Online Crime Is Real Crime, Scam Avoidance, Airline Ticket Fraud, Airline Ticket Scam