Is this a scam? (airline ticket refund)

5/18/2022 | self

[Not_Who_U_Think]

Pardon the vanity posting, but I have a question about a refund that I wonder is a scam. I would appreciate your input.

The story: I had a flight cancellation in March of 2020, a flight I had booked through CheapoAir I thought the money was gone, until a week ago, when I got an email saying they were processing my refund and needed 'additional information' and to please contact them.

So I did. The CSR, after getting my refund number transferred me to a lady, in billing. I give my name and billing address, and she then wanted the number of the card I used and I gave it to her, and she say 'that's correct. Now, I need the expiration and three digit number on the back.' I stop and say no, you don't need that for a refund. She responded by saying they would put a one dollar charge on the card, and if it went through, they would then refund the full amount.

I said no, I don't see why you need to do that, I don't want any charge to be placed on my card, just apply the refund. She explained this was the process, and I asked to speak to a super. Super is supposed to call me.

I just went on their website and can't find anything describing their refund process. It just smells to me. I have never had a company need to run a test charge through, unless I was linking two accounts between banks. And yet, it did seem to be the legitimate customer service department.

Pardon wasting your time, fellow freepers, but this just didn't seem right to me. Your thoughts?

[MayflowerMadam]

“just play along with the game. Act like you are stupid but cooperative.”

I do that often when I have time. The last time when they were fixing the virus on my PC I played along. The guy, Peggy, would tell me keystrokes and I pretended to do them and tell him what I saw

After about 15 minutes of this he asked, “What to you see on your screen now?” I said, “I see the virgin Mary.” He was shocked. “You see the wurjun Mary?!”

I laughed and hung up.

[Qui is]

Yes, indeed it is a scam. The three digit security code on the back of your card is required for purchases/charges/debit/transfers. NOT refunds/credits/deposits.

[Organic Panic]

Just started this week...

I am getting about 20 spam texts telling me my application for covid aid, refund request, blah blah blah, is approved and I just need to call. Usually they are flagged but this is a new method of spamming and the filters don’t get it because they just put a random group of numbers to get past. Infuriating.

As others said. Call cheapoair and see if you are entitled to a refund. Otherwise cancel your card and . Good luck.

[Not_Who_U_Think]

Yes, it’s from 2020, but oddly, CheapoAir’s website shows this is a legitimate refund. It also says that they will refund within 2 billing cycles.

I can only conclude there has been a data leak, because I got a legit email from the company on 5/13 about getting a refund, and on 5/14 I began getting emails to call this number. They also called me and left a message, so they had the billing number generated by the company, my email and phone number. I popped a message to the company about this, and talked to my bank’s fraud department to put a watch on the card.

You’re right about calling the number, and I normally wouldn’t but when I had a VM from them yesterday, I thought it was okay. I appreciate your suggestions!

[Not_Who_U_Think]

You are correct about the time zone! I didn’t catch that. And as several folks has pointed out, the English is off.

As I said in another post, I think there was a data leak somewhere, because they had the refund number the day after the company sent it to me. I sent them a message through FB, and let’s see what happens.

When I called the number, I actually heard the corporate jingle play... the guy and the lady I spoke with both had heavy accents, but these days, not out of the ordinary.

But I must confess, when the guy picked up in 15 seconds I should have known! That NEVER happens :)

[DouglasKC]

Total scam. Run.

[InGodsTruth]

It is most definitely a scam. I’ve been in the retail/travel industry for 21 yrs, and the airline/airline provider ALREADY have your cc on file and can easily reverse the charge. They didn’t need to call you for any information at all; it’s all on file and they process loads of cc refunds every day. It only sounds plausible to you because you were hoping for a refund. My guess is that someone hacked into Cheapo Air and got your name/phone number, but they need your cc number to complete the theft. This is not the norm for the travel industry—trust me. If it were legitimate, Cheapo Air didn’t need anything from you to issue a refund!!! Monitor your cc statement closely since you did provide them with your cc number (not the pin, thank goodness). But they now know your cc number and the name on the card, and I can’t remember if you gave them the expiration date on the card. If it were me, I would call the cc company and explain that you fell for a phishing scam and to request a new cc and close the one in question.

[Not_Who_U_Think]

Thanks for your sharing your thoughts.

I should have been more suspicious about the phone call, but as you pointed out, somehow they acquired the booking number, my email address and phone number. CheapoAir sent me an
authentic email and opened the refund on 5/13, these guys were emailing me on 5/14. So, somebody squealed.

I let the bank know, fortunately it’s a travel card I use it very little now. They’re on it - I tried to put some groceries on another card this morning and they declined it and sent me a text to approve the charge. So, any attempt to use that card will be declined.

I think, when I called the number, it played the cheapoair jingle before they answered. It certainly felt legit. In examining the email, I can’t figure out how they faked the email address. Billing@cheap*air.com isn’t an alias, not sure if it’s a valid company address but it passed through the spam filters. Thanks to you and everyone for responding!

[SaraJohnson]

You are right.