How airline miles, credits could disappear into the hands of hackers
(Aging Untold)— Stacy and Bryan Lester were looking forward to a trip and planned to use the roughly $800 in travel credits they had accumulated with American Airlines.
However, when they went to book their flights, they made a shocking discovery.
“My wife, Stacy, finds out that we have no credits,” Bryan Lester said.
The credits had vanished.
The airline told them that people used them to fly from New York to Austin on two different days.
The Lesters are victims of a form of travel fraud.
Scammers are increasingly targeting airline miles, points and travel credits, treating them like a digital currency ripe for the picking. And as travelers are discovering, protecting these assets can be difficult, and getting them back can be nearly impossible.
Julian Kheel, the founder of Points Path, said airline miles, points and credits are valuable to criminals.
“The problem with going after fraudsters is that they are typically not the ones actually flying the ticket,” Kheel said.
Instead, the criminals sell the tickets to unsuspecting travelers who may not even be aware they are using stolen rewards, he said.
Kheel recommends staying alert and keeping an eye on emails and alert.
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