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.