Fraudsters imitate airlines using phony X accounts.
Travelers are being alerted to an increase in frauds that employ fictitious social media profiles to pose as airlines.
Every major UK airline has bogus profiles on X, formerly known as Twitter, which are frequently used to deceive users into disclosing personal information, according to consumer advocacy Which?
It was further stated that X takes too long to delete problematic accounts. takes too long to delete problematic accounts.
The social media network warned that users who create fake accounts could have their access to its "misleading and deceptive identities policy"
permanently shut off. It had earlier claimed to Which? that it had removed every single false account that the consumer advocacy group had found.
According to Which?, the scam typically occurs when an irate passenger tries to get in touch with an airline to try and resolve an issue. It claimed that con artists search social media for these kinds of encounters by frequently employing bots, a kind of automated software.
In the hopes that the client won't realize they are being contacted by a fraudulent account, they then reply to the inquiry or grievance. Which?
provided the example of a researcher who asked if a flight was delayed by contacting the official Wizz Air X account, @wizzair. Almost instantly, the researcher received responses from two phony accounts. "They both apologized for the inconvenience, said they had 'already escalated this matter to the relevant department,' and asked for a'reachable WhatsApp number for assistance' via DM [direct message]," the statement read. "They used nearly identical language."
Every significant airline was impacted
Customers are frequently asked to transmit sensitive personal information to scammers, or they are led to phishing websites where credit card information is obtained. Some con artists may assert that their victims are entitled to reimbursement or demand a minor payment to fix the problem. Which? claimed to have discovered fake X accounts posing as all of the major UK airlines, such as Virgin Atlantic, easyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, British Airways, Tui, and Wizz Air. The majority of the phony posts and accounts it highlighted "were still live at the time of writing," it stated, and reporting false accounts to X "seems to have limited effect."
"On X, you may not misappropriate the identity of individuals, groups, or organizations or use a fake identity to deceive others," an X spokeswoman told the BBC.According to X's misleading and deceptive identities policy, accounts that masquerade as another person, group, or organization in a confusing or deceptive way risk having their accounts permanently suspended.
Customers are being warned by airlines not to reveal personal information on social media and to be cautious of phony accounts.
According to an easyJet representative, "We advise customers to be vigilant and not engage with or click on any links from other accounts. Instead, they should only follow and engage with our sole official channel @easyJet, which is identifiable by the gold verification badge for official businesses, for the latest updates or to seek support." "We continue to report fake social media accounts and would like to remind customers to never give their personal details out on these channels," a Wizz Air representative stated. Customers should get in touch with us through our call centers or claims department.
