Think I’ve been victim of fraud/identity theft from airline Indian contact centre staff

silvercar

I hope you have now changed your password.

sounds to me that they cancel the flight so your Avios go back to your account and then they make an effort to steal your Avios.

Londonian001

See the number in the photo (it is actually where I got the number from), the second number is also correct and was given to me from ringing the first number. Heathrow airport lists the second number for the airline. 

Londonian001

The below is actually how I saw the number at the time without opening the full LinkedIn page:

bagand96

You've taken the number for the airline from a LinkedIn page? It's just a random post from someone on LinkedIn (which is a social network in the same way as Facebook is)



I think @silvercar could be right, the scammers get enough information from you to cancel your flights. And then because they have your avios password they'll make a later attempt to steal the refunded Avios.

Unfortunately it seems you dialled a number taken from an unofficial source and then also handed over personal data. This is exactly the way scammers work.

The post listing a genuine number for the airline doesn't legitimise it, they've given a duff scam number first, human nature means people will ring the first number listed. They're very clever at what they do.

As already said I hope you've changed your password on the Avios and airline accounts. And any other account you have that uses the same email and password combination 

Londonian001

bagand96 so it seems it could well be a scam, strange the agent I was chatting to didn't question the time of call though. I've just tried the number and it's not answering, the other 0330 number works. The number came up in a google search, so I guess it could be anyone for sure. 

I'm still worried about the Avios though, normally QR refunds them within hours but they're not showing in my account still, bearing in mind the cancellation confirmation came through yesterday morning. 

How will they steal the Avios? Can you simply transfer them? I asked the chat agent to check but he didn't answer. I'm thinking whether the Avios points were refunded and the scammers got there before, although I cannot see any transaction but there is a few days delay on the statement as I booked the now lost flights last Thursday and that's not even showing in the transactions yet.

Is still worth involving my travel insurance? Looking like I will need to buy new flights and they're not cheap. My argument to them would be that I warned the airline not to cancel the flights 24 hours before they did, but they failed to honour my request or check to see where the cancellation request originally came from as I kept saying to the agent on Monday that I didn't ask for a cancellation, all she said was it was a mistake without even checking for sure and sent me a meaningless confirmation email. 

silvercar

It seems you have been scammed. The blame clearly lies with the scammers, not with yourself. You now need to take action.

Obviously, changing your password for this account and any account using the same password.

Notify the company that you think you have been scammed,  so they can block the account before the scammers can do more damage. This is important, the company will be able to see where the avios have been moved to and block the follow on account.

The scammers could have sent the avios on to another avios account in your name that they have created, there are a few airlines that have avios as reward currency and transferring between accounts with the same name is straight forward and quick. Transferring to a non airline partner eg Nectar takes longer because there are more checks in place.

As a further precaution I would be checking the accounts, and changing passwords, on any credit card you have linked to your avios account eg a payment card. You may also want to notify the credit card company that your credit card was registered with an account that has been compromised. If the CC company know that your avios account with the airline was compromised, they can flag up any transactions that come through from airlines.

silvercar

....and report that Linkedin post, to avoid others being scammed in the same way.

bagand96

silvercar said:

....and report that Linkedin post, to avoid others being scammed in the same way.

Good idea. You may also want to do some more digging into the https://www.travelflys.com/ website seeing as they seem to be the people advertising that phone number.

Website purports to be a Travel Agency however the website has no functionality. Assume it's just part of the scam. They list an address in London but it's an apartment building so I assume that's duff. Might be able to pass the website details on to Action Fraud though? 

Londonian001

Thanks all, already reported to Action Fraud but need to update them about the LinkedIn page & number. But the airline is being a pain about letting me know what’s happened to the Avios. Either they’re yet to be refunded or they’ve been stolen. I just get passed from pillar to post…put on hold forever or chat just ends. Is there another way of finding out? 

heatherw_01

Never ever google a company and find a random site for the number. Doesn't matter what the site is.

Only use the official site.

I know this is too late now, but just saying for anyone reading this who might do the same.
NEVER take a number from google or a website other than the official one.

This is how people scam people all the time.

Also no one would ever ask for a password ever. Only scammers do that.
Never give your password to anyone. Hang up and call them again using a different number if they ask.
This is for any company. No legit company would ask for a password.

I hope you get it resolved.