OSHKOSH, Wis. (WBAY) – As the travel season begins, you should also make sure you aren’t being taken advantage of by scam artists.

The Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin is warning about increasing reports of airfare scams, third-party booking websites, and fake phone numbers.

An Oshkosh woman almost lost thousands of dollars when she was trying to make a change with her airline tickets for an upcoming family vacation. She googled to get the phone number for the airline, and that one call sent her into a panic.

“I handed over my booking code, thinking that I’m talking to an American Airlines agent when really I was not,” said Barbie Deacy of Oshkosh. “They deleted my entire booking and then proceeded to tell me they don’t know how it was deleted but that it would cost me $500 per passenger to reinstate that booking. I was freaking out thinking oh my gosh what just happened? Willing to pay it, as well, we’re like what is going on? We want to go on this vacation.”

Barbie Deacy told me the phone number she called was just one digit away from the real American Airlines number. She was suspicious when they asked her to pay by wiring money.

When she contacted the Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin, she learned the company was a third-party service: PCM Travels. They have an F rating and more than 50 complaints in the last year. The BBB tells me they have received multiple reports coming into their scam tracker about scammers creating fake booking websites or customer service numbers to charge travelers for rescheduling. That’s why you have to double-check before calling support numbers.

DEBRIEF: Fake airline support phone numbers

“They make it seem like they’re doing their best, do you a favor, help you fix your booking, when really it’s totally far from reality,” said Deacy.

She called American Airlines, and was relieved to find out her entire booking was not canceled. The airline told her they see this happen a lot and encourage people to make sure they’re calling the real number.

The BBB also warns about scammers sending fake airline cancellation emails and text messages. Don’t call the phone number included in the message, it could be fake. Go to your airline’s real website and look for their customer service number there.

To report a scam to the Better Business Bureau, you can go to their Scam Tracker website.

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