Local News · Bristol
Bristol traveller loses £900 in sophisticated flight compensation scam
By Swindon Now Editorial Team · Published
A Bristol passenger has been targeted by fraudsters posing as airline support staff, highlighting the growing risk of phone scams following travel disruptions.
A local family has been left significantly out of pocket after falling victim to a sophisticated scam that exploited their recent experience of travel disruption. Sharon Morrell, a bus driver from Bristol, was targeted by fraudsters posing as airline customer support representatives shortly after she complained about the condition of her flight.
Mrs Morrell and her family were travelling from Bristol to Palma on 24 October when they discovered their allocated seats were soaking wet. She reported that heavy rain during the boarding process had left roughly 11 seats, including those occupied by her family, covered in water. Despite the inconvenience, which she claims left the seats unusable until staff provided paper towels, the family proceeded with their holiday.
It was after sharing her frustrations on social media that the situation escalated. Within a short time, she received a phone call from an individual claiming to represent the airline's customer support team. The caller appeared to acknowledge the incident on the flight and offered compensation of £200 per person for the disruption.
The caller then instructed Mrs Morrell to download two specific mobile applications, purportedly to facilitate the secure transfer of funds. Under the impression she was dealing with a legitimate airline representative, she followed the instructions provided. However, the process quickly turned into a financial ordeal. When she questioned why the transactions being processed were removing funds from her account rather than depositing them, the caller attempted to gain further access to her banking details. Mrs Morrell realised the deception and terminated the call, but not before £900 had been transferred to an account in Kenya.
A spokesperson for the airline confirmed that a small number of seats had become damp due to adverse weather conditions, specifically citing Storm Boelo, and stated that crew members had assisted by wiping down the affected areas.
This incident serves as a stark warning to travellers who may post complaints on public forums. Scammers frequently monitor social media for mentions of flight delays, cancellations, or service issues to target vulnerable passengers with convincing, personalised fraudulent schemes. Experts advise that legitimate airlines will never request that customers download third-party applications to receive compensation, nor will they ask passengers to facilitate transfers themselves. Anyone who suspects they have been targeted by such a scam should immediately contact their bank and report the incident to the relevant fraud authorities.
Source: Bristol Post · View original