This Airline Scam Is All Over Google Right Now. Here’s How to Protect Yourself

A cancelled or delayed flight can create chaos, leading travelers to frantically try and get a hold of their airline to update their flight. But what happens if the airline representative you think you’re talking to is a scammer?

Imagine you’re at the airport about to be whisked away to a long-anticipated summer getaway. Along with several hundred other passengers, you’ve been patiently waiting for the gate agent to give the all-clear to board the aircraft. Although the airline has delayed your flight several times, you’re unbothered. Your thoughts are on the seaside lounge chair you’ll soon be relaxing in with a tropical drink in hand.

Suddenly, the gate agent’s voice jolts you out of your pleasant daydream: Mechanical issues have forced the cancellation of the flight. That announcement sends a stampede of disgruntled would-be passengers to the counter–all in search of replacement flights. But you stay put and pull out your phone instead. You intend to dodge that endless line of displaced travelers.

Using Google, you immediately locate the airline’s toll-free number, which promises instant help. With no wait time at all, a friendly agent answers, ready to fix your problem. You’ve made it to the front of the virtual line, and you breathe a sigh of relief, now confident you’ll be on the next flight out of there.

The efficient customer service agent confirms that few flights are left to book, so he must work quickly. He asks for your record locator and credit card number to make the switch. You hand over all your details and cross your fingers as you hear the agent diligently tapping away at his keyboard.

Success! The stranger on the other end of the line gives you a new reservation number and wishes you a bon voyage. You thank him and glance sympathetically at the queue of angry travelers as you walk past on your way to the new gate.

Your vacation is saved! Or is it?

You’re about to receive a rude awakening. That friendly guy you were speaking to is a scammer. The number you found in your Google search led you to a fake airline customer service center filled with skilled con artists. You gave your credit card and other personal information to an online predator.

Now, your identity and financial data are in the hands of a scam ring… and, surprise! That reservation number that the thief gave you is also fake. Unfortunately, as a consumer advocate and ombudsman columnist, I know this unpleasant scenario will play out again and again this summer. Here’s what you need to know about spotting and avoiding fake airline customer service centers on the internet.

An Explosion of Fake Airline Customer Service Centers

I frequently receive pleas for help from blindsided travelers victimized by fake airline customer service centers. These consumers all dialed a number they found through a Google search and believed they were speaking to an employee of an official airline (or, in some cases, a booking agent like Expedia). As a result, they didn’t view the request for their credit card information or reservation number as a red flag.

Only after willingly sharing their personal details with the imposter did these consumers begin to suspect they might be in the clutches of a scammer. Traveler Cathy Chang’s brush with a fake airline customer service center began innocently enough. Before a recent flight to Australia, she Googled “Air Canada” to find out when the check-in counter at the airport would open. Dialing the number she found at the top of the Google search led an unaware Chang right to a scammer.

The man who answered the phone told a surprised Chang that she hadn’t completely paid for the flight yet. According to him, Air Canada showed a balance due on her ticket of nearly $500, which he wanted to collect ASAP. When Chang protested, explaining that she had fully paid for the flight months earlier, the agent reiterated that she owed $500. If she didn’t pay, she wouldn’t be boarding that flight, he said.

Confused but unwilling to risk her trip, Chang gave the man her credit card information. After processing the payment, the agent confirmed that Chang was now clear for takeoff. But inexplicably, he could not give her the airline’s check-in counter hours, which was the reason for her call in the first place. Chang hung up, feeling uneasy about the interchange, and her concerns soon landed in my email. Like most people who find themselves victimized by online crooks, she was embarrassed and frightened.

“I think I’m involved in a scam. I feel sick. These scammers have all my information. They charged my credit card $500, but Air Canada confirmed yesterday that I paid for my ticket in full three months ago,” Chang told me. “These criminals could change my flight or cancel it–or charge me more. I’m afraid. What can I do?”

It was just days before Chang’s scheduled flight to Sydney, so fortunately, she didn’t have long to agonize. She soon flew to Australia without incident, and I set to work to get her money back through Chase, her credit card company. Amazingly, these scammers even successfully tricked Chase into believing they were part of Air Canada by manipulating the name that appeared through the bank’s merchant terminal.

Initially, Chang lost her credit card dispute against this fake airline call center, but her story had a happy ending. We investigated and were able to prove her case to the banking giant. Chase reversed its original decision, and Chang got all her money back. She enjoyed her trip to the Land Down Under–and learned a valuable lesson about phone numbers you find on the Internet.

The Rise of Airline Scam Call Centers

In the past several months, I’ve observed a distinct uptick in help requests from victims of fake airline customer service centers. The sudden wave of success of these scam call centers seems to have coincided with a change in Google’s algorithm. That algorithm determines what you see when you use the immensely popular search engine to look for information.

Bad actors appear to have figured out how to trick Google into elevating their scam airline call centers to the highest position in the search results. Here is an example of a recent search for “Air Canada flight change,” a popular consumer question. Half of the results are scammers pretending to be Air Canada (those marked with a star), with their fake airline numbers boldly displayed, just waiting for your call.

In the past, for these scammers to show up at the top of a search, they would need to pay for a Google advertisement. Paid-for results are always labeled as “sponsored” or as an “ad.” That makes it easy for consumers to identify and skip over those results when looking for a company’s customer support.

However, in the past several months, fake airline customer service centers have landed coveted positions with major companies. By infiltrating government websites and creating hidden forums only meant to trick Google into showing the numbers in the search results, the fake airline customer service centers are at the top of the list with no advertisement label.

Fake Customer Service Centers Aren’t Only Targeting Airlines

Nearly every consumer-facing business I know of has a scam call center impersonating its customer service. The internet is a dangerous place to navigate for travelers at this moment. Another example: The Phoenix Police Public Records website currently ranks high in the search results for “Expedia refund help.”

I contacted Google recently to ask about my disturbing findings and to share some of the terrible consumer experiences that I’ve fielded. A spokesperson for the search engine giant called me, and we had a lengthy discussion. She expressed her shared concern about these scammers appearing at the top of Google searches. She assured me that Google is actively combating these predators, and indeed, many of the scam results have disappeared since our first discussion in early May.

“Our advanced spam-fighting systems help keep Google Search 99% spam-free, despite ever-evolving tactics from spammers,” wrote the Google spokesperson via e-mail. “We have clear spam policies against deceptive tactics, and when we find behavior that violates our policies, we take action. We’ll continue to investigate and take action where there are violations of our policies.”

I also contacted multiple government organizations that were hosting these “articles,” including the New York City Department of Finance. Without fail, every organization I contacted was unaware of the existence of the forum hosted on their site. Those all came down off the internet shortly after my inquiries. Unfortunately, the scammers simply moved to new, unaware government–hosted platforms and soon replaced the originals in the search results.

Google continues to assure me that they’re on the case and battling the scammers every day. However, for now, consumers must be super careful when using the search engine to find customer service support for any company.

Tips for Consumers: Avoiding Fake Customer Service Support

Here’s what you need to know about detecting and avoiding fake airline customer service centers in the search results as you plan your summer vacation.

Download Your Airline’s Mobile App

While traveling, don’t get caught off-guard without your airline’s official number. A simple way to avoid falling victim to a fake airline customer service center is by downloading your airline’s official mobile app to your phone. Nearly every airline has a mobile app, and not only will you have quick access to the carrier’s toll-free number, but you can also receive flight notifications, weather details for your destination, and other helpful information. If you get hit by an unexpected cancellation or delay, you’ll be able to skip the Google search and go straight to the airline’s mobile app for reliable assistance.

Don’t Call Numbers Appearing in Wacky Fonts Beside Silly Emojis

One tactic all the scam airline customer service centers use to make their results pop in the search results is the use of unusual fonts and silly emojis. That draws the consumer’s attention to the colorful and unique result on the page. That is the sign of a fake airline customer service center. Official airline websites do not litter their pages with chicken emojis or use multiple fonts. Steer clear of this kind of result.

Slow Down!

Scammers depend on keeping you off guard so that you don’t have time to figure out what’s really happening. They do that by creating a sense of urgency. When travelers are suddenly hit with a flight cancellation and need a replacement immediately, the situation creates a sense of urgency for the scammer. The passenger knows they must act quickly or the next available flight will become unavailable. So, the emphasis is on speed. You’re competing with hundreds of other passengers who also want that seat you’re hoping to grab. This is a scammer’s dream come true–desperate consumers who need immediate help and won’t double-check what the “customer service agent” is saying or asking for. They overlook giant red flags–like a person asking for their credit card information when a flight change after a cancellation should be free.

Pay Attention to How the ‘Agent’ Answers the Phone

A real customer service agent will always answer your call by identifying the airline. A fake customer service agent will always answer your call in a vague way because they’re fielding calls from potential victims who have found the number listed as any number of airlines. Additionally, official airline phone centers typically welcome you to the call with a recording as soon as the phone connects. If you’re immediately patched into an agent who eagerly answers your call, “How can I help you?” with no wait and no official introduction, you can be nearly certain you’ve reached an imposter.

Be Careful About Sharing Your Record Locator

I’m always surprised when travelers share photos of their reservation numbers and record locators on social media. Many consumers are unaware, but that information can be used by a stranger (or enemy) to cancel, change, or just generally disrupt your vacation plans. Be very careful if the first thing an “agent” does when you call is ask for your record locator. Make certain that you’re really speaking to an airline representative by asking some questions before handing over that sensitive information.

The Bottom Line

If you find yourself in a situation where you’re unsure if you’ve exposed yourself to scammers through a fake airline call center, my team at Consumer Rescue are always here to help. We can investigate your problem and also provide you with reliable customer contact information for any airline or booking agent. Our advocacy team’s assistance is a service to the consumer community and is fast, friendly, and always free of charge.