Airline credits and miles are disappearing into hackers’ hands
GILBERT (AZFamily) — It’s important to keep banking and financial information safe from hackers. The same can also be said for airline points and travel credits.
Stacy and Bryan Lester had about $800 worth of travel credits on American Airlines.
“We go to book our credits and use them and my wife, Stacy, finds out that we have no credits!” Brian told On Your Side.
The couple called the airline and learned the credits had been claimed months prior.
“She said, ‘Your credit was used back in March,’ and I said, ‘There’s no way I used it in March,’”
The airline told the Lesters the credits were used by people flying from New York to Austin, Texas on two different days.
“I’m like, ‘Hey, are our credits one digit off?’” Stacy recalled asking the airline. “They said yes. I said, ‘So they figured out mine, got it to work and then they changed it by one number up or down and got Bryan’s?’”
With no resolution in sight, the Lesters contacted On Your Side for help.
“We’re not looking for anything above and beyond. We just want what is originally ours and more importantly, we don’t want this happening to other people,” Bryan said.
Here’s the problem. This is also happening to other people.
“When it comes to fraud, airlines are susceptible to it just like all of the other areas of travel,” said Julian Kheel, the founder of Points Path.
According to Kheel, airline miles, points, and credits are valuable to criminals.
“The problem with going after fraudsters is that they are typically not the ones actually flying the ticket,” Kheel explained. “Fraudsters instead sell those tickets to unsuspecting travelers who then fly them and go on their way, who may not even be aware that they’re doing something wrong.”
In 2020, six people were charged in a frequent flier fraud case. Authorities said the men hacked into accounts, stealing millions of miles.
“The best way to protect yourself against fraud is to be alert. Keep an eye on those emails. Keep an eye on those alerts,” Kheel suggested.
Unfortunately, that’s not foolproof.
“We had no notification whatsoever,” Lester said.
Monte Bates says he also never received an alert when someone canceled his American Airlines reservation for a flight to Hawaii.
“I guess these people can be sneaky enough to do that,” said Bates, who has been trying for months to get answers and a refund for the flight he had to buy a second time.
“I’m out $900. Somebody has a credit,” he said. “I could have been flying right along with the people that stole my tickets.”
On Your Side first reached out to American Airlines a month ago. The company said it would look into both situations but has not responded to questions about the missing credits, whether fraud reports are increasing, and how it handles those reports.
A spokesperson forwarded the company’s terms and conditions, which are available on the American Airlines website.
“We won’t replace Trip Credit if lost or stolen. This may include inadvertent deletion, forwarding or access of the email containing your Trip Credit number. Please guard the Trip Credit number as you would cash,” the company’s policy states.
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