Prime travel season is right around the corner, but if you’re planning to fly, experts are warning about fake booking websites that scammers are using to steal your money.Lisa Caine in Severna Park went online to book a flight to Martha’s Vineyard for this summer.”I was busy. I was preoccupied. I wanted to get the tickets fast,” Caine said.She used Google to look up flights and clicked on what seemed like one of many booking sites.”I click the link, I start putting in my dates, and then it says an agent is going to contact me within five minutes,” she said.A few minutes later, that call came.”The agent put me on hold several times, and then, finally, got my dates and destinations down. I gave him my debit card information, my name, address, all of that stuff, and he said I would be receiving an email shortly with the confirmation and all of my flight details,” she said.Caine said the price came to nearly $600. She waited a while for a confirmation email. She eventually received one, but there was no flight or confirmation number.That’s when she started to worry.”I contacted my bank right away and, luckily, I got my debit card shut off,” Caine said. When we tried to go to the website she gave us, nothing came up.Clay Campbell is with the Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland. He said there are two key things to look out for.”A misspelled URL is something to look out for. Locks in the top left corner of that website might not be there. When you see a lock on a website, you know that that website is secure,” Campbell said.Caine said she noticed other red flags, such as improper grammar in the email. She hopes others will be more careful.”Take your time, be careful, know what site you’re on. Just make sure it’s a legitimate webpage because this one was pretty tricky. And it almost got me,” she said.When in doubt, experts say to go directly through the airline’s website. Several airlines also have tips and suggestions on their sites to help you recognize signs of a scam.
Prime travel season is right around the corner, but if you’re planning to fly, experts are warning about fake booking websites that scammers are using to steal your money.
Lisa Caine in Severna Park went online to book a flight to Martha’s Vineyard for this summer.
“I was busy. I was preoccupied. I wanted to get the tickets fast,” Caine said.
She used Google to look up flights and clicked on what seemed like one of many booking sites.
“I click the link, I start putting in my dates, and then it says an agent is going to contact me within five minutes,” she said.
A few minutes later, that call came.
“The agent put me on hold several times, and then, finally, got my dates and destinations down. I gave him my debit card information, my name, address, all of that stuff, and he said I would be receiving an email shortly with the confirmation and all of my flight details,” she said.
Caine said the price came to nearly $600. She waited a while for a confirmation email. She eventually received one, but there was no flight or confirmation number.
That’s when she started to worry.
“I contacted my bank right away and, luckily, I got my debit card shut off,” Caine said.
When we tried to go to the website she gave us, nothing came up.
Clay Campbell is with the Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland. He said there are two key things to look out for.
“A misspelled URL is something to look out for. Locks in the top left corner of that website might not be there. When you see a lock on a website, you know that that website is secure,” Campbell said.
Caine said she noticed other red flags, such as improper grammar in the email. She hopes others will be more careful.
“Take your time, be careful, know what site you’re on. Just make sure it’s a legitimate webpage because this one was pretty tricky. And it almost got me,” she said.
When in doubt, experts say to go directly through the airline’s website. Several airlines also have tips and suggestions on their sites to help you recognize signs of a scam.
