Travelers lose money to Expedia imposters
What do you do when you need to find something? Search for it on the internet! You might want to do some extra sleuthing.
If you’re trying to call a customer service number that you found through a search engine, read on before dialing.
The Better Business Bureau has just learned about a network of scammers using Expedia Group’s name to take consumers for thousands of dollars.
Better Business Bureau Northwest + Pacific has recwweived several reports in just the past few days from consumers who have lost as much as $3,700 each. Consumers reporting this scam hail from 17 different states and Canada.
Expedia is a BBB Accredited Business with an A+ rating. In a statement, the Bellevue, Wash.-based company said, “We are happy to team up with the BBB to educate people about this scam and share tips on how they can protect themselves.”
The scam begins after consumers have booked travel through Expedia, an online travel company. Consumers later looking to change or confirm their bookings contact customer service numbers they’ve found by searching online — the numbers purporting to be with Expedia. But instead of reaching legitimate Expedia representatives, they’re calling phone numbers set up by impostors. The impostors say their refund site isn’t working properly and the consumer needs to purchase gift cards in order to receive a refund or change bookings.
Here’s some background about how this happens. These numbers are showing up on search engines because scammers are manipulating the search algorithms. They are buying fake ads that seem to be Expedia but have different contact information. They’re also creating counterfeit webpages, stealing the logos and likeness of the company, to trick consumers out of their money.
One scam victim told BBB that the scammer kept telling her to purchase (additional) gift cards, saying that he had to merge the cards. He continued to reassure her that she should not worry as she would be reimbursed. Several customers say the fake customer service rep stayed with them on their cell phones while they purchased the gift cards.
BBB even contacted one of the fake numbers, and they led us through the same convoluted scheme that the consumers described above. All the while, the scammer assured us that this was the only way to get a refund. Even after we hung up with the scammers, they called us back to see if we were purchasing gift cards!
Expedia Group’s statement continues: “Our goal is always to ensure travelers have a seamless and trouble-free booking experience with us, and it’s incredibly unfortunate that scammers have disrupted our customers’ well-deserved vacations and travel plans. Rest assured that we are also working hard to identify ways to prevent this from happening in the future.”
Expedia Group is taking steps to counteract these impostors, including working with popular search engines to reduce the occurrence of fake ads, making its customer service contact number more visible, and adding info about these scams to its customer service portal. Consumers still need to remain vigilant, though, as search engines sometimes take a while to update their practices.
Better Business Bureau offers the following tips for consumers to protect themselves:
Trustworthy companies will never demand a gift card as any form of payment, and consumers should never have to pay to get money back. A red flag in many scams is the request for unusual forms of payment, like wiring money and purchasing gift cards.
Using a search engine does not guarantee the correct number. Always go directly to a website to find contact information. Large companies often have a “Contact Us” button or a help hotline number directly on their webpage.
Protect personal information. Be cautious when connecting to public Wi-Fi and never use it for online banking or entering personal or financial information.
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For more information on scams of all sorts go to bbb.org or, if you have been a victim, help protect others and share your story on bbb.org/scamtracker.
BBB is here to help you so if you have any questions or information about scams you have seen, please let us know and we’ll be happy to help! Jason can be reached at jason.kama@thebbb.org or 208-493-2431. For more information on businesses and complaints, find the contact information for your closest office: https://bit.ly/2O9ufac