Woman Swindled Out Of Thousands Of Dollars In Airline Scam

Woman Swindled Out Of Thousands Of Dollars In Airline Scam

Unfortunately, these cons are common

Tamara Gane  Updated Sun, June 22, 2025

Family vacations are exciting, but they can also present an opportunity for scam artists. Just ask a mom named Haylee who booked 11 flights on American Airlines for an upcoming cruise.

She explained in a recent TikTok video that both her daughter and niece are on the autism spectrum. She called the airline to check to see if accommodations like early boarding were available to make their travel day easier.

A Call Gone Wrong

Haylee looked up the number for American Airlines. At least, that was her intention. In the video, she said, “I guess I must’ve not clicked the number because it rerouted the page."

Unaware that anything was amiss, she clicked the first number. A male voice answered the phone, asking for the flight confirmation numbers for the family’s upcoming trip.

An Offer That Seemed Too Good To Be True

Once he had the confirmation numbers, he was able to look up the flight information. He read it back to them, along with the last four digits of the two credit cards used to book the flights. This assured Haylee he was legit but unfortunately, this information is accessible to anyone with a person’s last name and confirmation number.

The man told Haylee he could give her a discount of $150 per ticket, priority boarding, and seats in the front of the plane. But there was a catch. According to Haylee, he said:

“I have to refund both of the cards, which could take 7-20 business days.

After he claimed to have processed the refund on the two cards, he informed her that he would put the flight on a single card. The new total would be $5,250, a $1,600 discount off the original flight cost.

A Suspicious Email

Haylee provided the man with some additional information, including her credit card number. He charged the card and sent her a confirmation email.

This is when Haylee realized something was wrong. The email said it was from “flight trip.” She thought she’d called American Airlines, so this didn’t make sense.

She quickly opened her American Airlines app. Her original flights were there. No changes had been made. At that point, Haylee realized she’d been scammed.

She immediately locked her credit cards and disputed the charge with her company.

How To Avoid Falling For A Similar Scam

Unfortunately, this is a common con. So common that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has an entire page devoted to scammers impersonating airline representatives. This is how they suggest you keep your personal information and your credit card numbers safe:

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