Social media scammers pose as airline customer service representatives to steal sensitive passenger data.
Security Experts Consumer Rights Protection Authority warned that with the start of the tourist season, a new type of cyber fraud is gaining momentum on social networks. Attackers find airline passengers and, using fake accounts, obtain their personal data, access to bank accounts, etc.
This was reported by the portal Which?
During the high tourist season, when many people go on vacation, the workload of carrier companies increases significantly. Airports and planes are overcrowded, passengers are in a hurry, and employees are tired. Due to stress, human errors and unpleasant incidents become more frequent – luggage may get lost, flights may be delayed. Passengers are also unhappy with their seat on the plane or the quality of service. And conflicts arise between people based on emotions, requiring the intervention of the airline.
In such situations, dissatisfied customers often want publicity for the incident, write about their negative experience on social networks and complain in the comments on the airlines' pages. It is these passengers that scammers prey on.
The authors of the article note that scammers register fake accounts on social networks, in particular on the X platform, look for messages that mention airlines, and contact the users who wrote them on behalf of customer support.
Such fake accounts often use real company logos and nicknames that are very similar to the names of air carriers. In many cases, passengers do not notice the discrepancy, which makes them easy victims for scammers.
In personal correspondence, scammers usually “apologize for the inconvenience” and say that “the issue has been forwarded to the appropriate department.” And then they ask for a phone number or ask to follow a link or install an application “to get help.”
Journalists noted that scammers often respond very quickly because they use special “bots” that automatically track user messages for relevant requests.
The authors of the article warned air passengers about the need to be vigilant. After all, links sent by attackers can lead to phishing websites that steal access data to bank accounts.
Recall that attackers send fraudulent messages to users of a popular messenger. Fraudsters offer an attractive offer of online earnings in order to subsequently obtain personal data or extort money.
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