When my fiancé and I began shopping for plane tickets to British Columbia this summer, we never imagined we’d become fraud victims. We’re tech-savvy millennials — Matt works in IT and I work in media — and we know the risks. Yet I still ended up cancelling my credit card after dealing with a fraudulent “travel agency.”
I started with Google Flights, my usual go-to. It lists options across airlines and booking sites, making comparison simple. I found a solid fare and sent it to Matt. Ever the bargain hunter, he searched further and found what looked like a spectacular deal: roundtrip tickets to Vancouver for just over $300 each, funneled through a third-party agency. The site looked legitimate, so I entered our details and paid.
Instead of receiving an instant receipt by e-mail, we landed on a vague “Your booking is in progress” page. Fine print promised a confirmation within 48 hours. The next morning an agent left a voicemail asking me to call back for a confirmation number — but gave no number to call. Using a toll-free line on the site, I reached an agent who reviewed our file, then claimed our fare prohibited all baggage and pushed an “upgrade” at nearly double the price.
Red flag raised, I called the airline, WestJet. Their agent confirmed baggage can always be paid for at the airport and, more telling, there was no reservation in the system under our names. It was a scam. When I called the agency back, the pressure campaign resumed: no seats left at our fare, non-refundable tickets, upgrade now or lose the trip. I hung up and cancelled my credit card. Thankfully, no charge went through, though our personal information is now exposed.We eventually booked safely through a reputable site and enjoyed our trip. But the experience was a wake-up call — and a reminder that smart people get duped when the bait is perfectly tailored.
Here’s what I wish we’d done sooner: verified the agency before paying, read recent reviews, confirmed the company name and domain, and searched “scam” alongside it. Cross-check with the airline: if a booking is real, the airline can see it. Beware of stall
tactics like delayed confirmations, missing contact info, or sudden add-on costs that double the fare. Use a credit card, enable alerts, and never provide more personal data than required. If something feels off, stop and call the airline or your card issuer. Document everything: screenshots, confirmation pages, call times, and agent names help banks reverse charges and investigators track patterns more easily.
A “great deal” isn’t great if it isn’t real. Stay vigilant — and book with brands
you trust.
