Holidaymakers are being warned about a rise in scams involving fake social media accounts impersonating airlines, according to consumer association Which?. Bogus accounts for every major UK airline can be found on Twitter, and scammers are using them to trick customers into giving away personal data.
Which? reported that the social media platform is slow to take down these offending accounts, despite its policy against misleading and deceptive identities. The consumer group identified fake accounts for airlines like British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, Tui, Virgin Atlantic, and Wizz Air.
The scam typically occurs when a customer tries to contact an airline for assistance and scammers respond to their queries or complaints from fake accounts, hoping the customer won’t notice. These scammers may ask for sensitive personal data or direct customers to phishing websites to harvest credit card details.
Airlines are urging customers to be cautious of fake accounts and not share personal data on social media. They advise customers to only engage with official channels that are verified with a gold badge for official businesses. Customers are also reminded to contact customer service through official channels rather than social media for assistance.
It is important for holidaymakers to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the airlines or social media platforms to prevent falling victim to these scams.
