Advancements in technology have made everything easy for people with smartphones and laptops. However, this has also led to an increase in online scams that occur through these platforms. A recent example of this was when online scammers targeted a popular airline’s customer service hotline number on Google, attempting to trick passengers. Twitter user Shmuli Evers shared her experience, alleging that a fraudster tried to scam her by posing as a member of Delta Airlines customer support staff. The tweet has racked up over 2 million views. On July 17, Shmuli Evers shared her experience of being scammed by fraudsters when booking a flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
In his article, Evers mentioned that his Delta flight had been canceled, which led him to seek an alternative flight. Therefore, he looked up the Delta airline helpline number on Google Maps and dialed the contact number provided by Google, hoping to book another flight through Delta Airlines.
Shortly after the call started, he suddenly dropped. However, they then contacted him and asked for his name and confirmation number. After getting the details, they managed to find an alternative flight scheduled for later that evening, departing from Newark Liberty International Airport.
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My @delta the flight was canceled from JFK. The customer service line was huge so I googled a Delta JFK phone number. The number was 1888-571-4869 Thinking I had reached Delta, I started talking to them about getting me on a new flight. — Shmuli Evers (@Shmuli) July 16, 2023
By providing him with my confirmation number and my name, he was able to look up my travel information on delta. He found another flight from Newark, leaving later that evening. But he needed me to confirm. — Shmuli Evers (@Shmuli) July 16, 2023
The online scammer then texted her the alternate flight details and asked her to call back. After calling him, Shimuli Evers was informed that his original reservation had been canceled and he now had to pay for the new reservation. However, Evers realized something was wrong and he cut the call. But the fraudster kept calling him back and even dropped a few text messages.
He then asked me to call him, he said he had to cancel my original reservation and I had to pay for the new one.
— Shmuli Evers (@Shmuli) July 16, 2023
He tried to text me after that, and he tried his best for so long to help me get a flight… He wanted me to pay him 5 times the original ticket price… If he was really from delta he would have booked me on this flight. I hate scammers. — Shmuli Evers (@Shmuli) July 16, 2023
This incident led the New York passenger to go back and search for the original number. Later, he discovered that the customer helpline number listed on the Delta Airlines website was different from the contact number listed on Google Maps.
“Looks like the scammers changed the @delta number to JFK. I suggested an edit from @googlemaps for the real Delta number,” Shimuli Evers tweeted.
looks like the scammers have changed the @delta number in JFK. I suggested an edit to @GoogleMaps to the Delta real number. pic.twitter.com/HAiGlzkqcu
— Shmuli Evers (@Shmuli) July 16, 2023
He then began his research and compiled a list of potential scammers associated with popular airline Google locations. It included various airlines such as Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, Air France, Qantas Airways, ITA Airways and Turkish Airlines.
This recent case confirmed the possibility of a scam happening if you fail to verify the number before providing your personal bank account details. Authorities strongly advise against sharing personal information through online interfaces. According to CNN’s report, Google said its teams have already begun fixing inaccuracies on the website. Moreover, they suspend all found malicious accounts and implement more security measures to prevent such scams.