On-Line Travel Scam

Be careful of a new online travel scam that involves bargain flights advertised on internet auction sites. The con-men advertise an amazing deal on an auction site, telling potential bidders that they do not need to pay until they have received their tickets. The winning bidder – and, usually, all the other bidders, are contacted under the pretence that the winner has dropped out for their names. The fraudster then buys the tickets from the airline in the names of each ‘winner’, but uses someone else's stolen credit card details. According to an internet fraud agency, these details are readily available and sold for as little as 30p a time. The winner also pays up once they’ve received the tickets. Most airlines are ok about issuing tickets to someone other than the cardholder, so the ‘winners’ receive their tickets, pay the fraudster and look forward to their holiday, sometimes even flying out and enjoying it. When the airline's bank tries to claim the money from the credit cardholder, however, the fraud is uncovered – and the airline will not let the ticket-holder travel.