Airline scams continue to be a big money maker for scam artists, the only criminals we refer to as artists.  Back on June 6, 2012 in my “scam of the day” I alerted you about a scam involving a phishing email purportedly from US Airways with a phony itinerary for a flight you never booked.  The email even had a phony, but good replica of the official US Airways logo.  In the email, you were instructed to click on a link for further details, which if you did, would end up downloading on to your computer a keystroke logging program that would steal all of the information from your computer and end up making you a victim of identity theft.  In November 3, 2012’s  “scam of the day” I warned you about a scam involving Delta airlines and a phony email notification that an airline ticket purchased from Delta was ready for printing on line by downloading the attachment to the email.  This action too would have downloaded a keystroke logging malware program.  Recently,  on their corporate websites, Southwest Airlines and American Airlines also acknowledged phishing scams involving similar phony communications.

TIPS

Email messages purporting to have links for free airline tickets, such as recent Southwest Airline scam emails have done are scams.  Email messages purporting to have attached invoices or receipts for airline tickets you actually have not ordered, such as recent Delta Airlines scam emails have done are scams.  These messages also have been coming as Facebook postings or even as postcards with notices of free airline tickets available by going to a phony website.  These too are scams.  There are no free lunches nor are there any free airline tickets.  If you haven’t ordered tickets, you do not have tickets to download.  Basically, you should remember my advice to never download an attachment or click on a link unless you are positive it is legitimate.  When in doubt, and you should usually have a healthy dose of doubt, you should check with the real company at a phone number or online at an address that you know is accurate and not click on a link in the questionable email in order to find out if the email is legitimate.  You will find it is not.