Expedia imposters steal thousands from consumers

Expedia imposters steal thousands from consumers
                        

A network of scammers is using Expedia Group’s name to take consumers for thousands of dollars. Better Business Bureau has received several reports from consumers who have lost as much as $3,700.

Expedia is a BBB Accredited Business with an A+ rating.

The scam begins after consumers have booked travel through the online travel company, Expedia. Consumers later attempting to change or confirm their bookings, contact customer-service numbers they have found by searching online, the numbers purporting to be with Expedia. But instead of reaching legitimate Expedia representatives, they are 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.

Consumers reporting this scam hail from 17 different states and Canada, and together, report losing nearly $10,000. One woman told BBB the scammer kept telling her to “purchase (additional) gift cards saying that he had to merge the cards together” but not to worry as she “was going to be well reimbursed.” Several customers say the fake customer-service rep stayed with them on their cell phones while they purchased the gift cards.

That is what happened when BBB contacted one of the phony numbers and listened as the impostor tried to convince the BBB to buy gift cards, giving a convoluted explanation of how the refund would be given. Even after hanging up, the scammers called back to confirm the gift cards were being purchased.

Expedia Group said, “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 information about these scams to its customer-service portal.

Trustworthy companies will never demand a gift card as a form of payment, and consumers should never have to pay to get money back.

Using a search engine does not guarantee getting the correct number. Always go directly to a business’ own 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.

To learn about other kinds of scams, go to www.BBB.org/ScamTips. If you have been the victim of this or another scam, make others aware by filing a report on www.BBB.org/ScamTracker.

Visit www.bbb.org/canton or call 330-454-9401 to look up a business, file a complaint, write a customer review, read tips, follow us on social media and more.


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