Major airlines issue warning over social media scam

Major airlines are urging customers to be wary of scammers who are targeting frustrated travellers on social media and looking to fleece them for hundreds of pounds.

Criminals have taken to X, formally known as Twitter, to set up scam airline accounts and pretend to offer help to people who have made complaints about companies such as British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair. 

One disgruntled post can see up to 10 fake accounts replying to the user and offering to help.

Some may try to be a direct replica of the airline's official social media page, and hope the target does not notice, or pose as the account of a senior member of staff in the company.

The accounts will ask users to send them sensitive personal data or direct them to phishing websites where their card details can be harvested and money stolen.

This phenomenon started to grip social media after the Covid-19 pandemic, when there was a rise in the number of people venting their frustrations online about cancelled flights and lost baggage.

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Naomi Leach, Deputy Editor of Which? Travel, previously told MailOnline: 'Though social media can be a useful tool for engaging with businesses and seeking customer support, it's important to be wary of scammers posing as legitimate accounts.

'Scammers pretending to be airlines and travel agents are sadly quite common - and can be easy to miss when you're seeking an urgent answer to a question about a delayed flight or cancelled holiday, for instance.'

It is believed that the fraudsters use bots to trawl through complaints on X. Once they have acquired their target, they will respond to their post with an apology for the inconvenience and request a 'reachable number for assistance'.

Some fraudsters also claim customers are entitled to compensation or ask for a small fee to resolve the issue.

A Telegraph investigation found that if you were to send a number to one of these accounts, you may get a WhatsApp call from a Kenyan mobile number from someone claiming to be from customer service.

The caller directed the newspaper to download a legit smartphone app called World Remit and add their bank or credit card details, before giving them a set of instructions which would see them lose hundreds of pounds. 

To avoid this, Ms Leach says social media users should be wary of any accounts offering to help solve their problems and always check their credentials before responding.

'Always check that any message purporting to be from a business like an airline comes from its official account before you reply. If you are in any doubt at all, get in touch directly using the contact details on its official website instead.' she said.

'If you or a loved one do fall victim to a scam then contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud or Police Scotland. To help stay one step ahead of fraudsters, you can sign up to Which?'s free Scam Alert service, which highlights the new scams consumers should be watching out for.'

A spokesperson for easyJet added: 'We are aware that these purport to be an official easyJet account. 

'We have reported the account to X so they can take any necessary action and advise customers follow only our official channel @easyJet for the latest updates or to seek support, as well as to be vigilant and not engage with or click on any links.'

X has previously said accounts that impersonate organisations may be permanently suspended under its 'misleading and deceptive identities policy'.

MailOnline has approached the social media platform, British Airways and Ryanair  for a comment.