Expedia Warns Users of Refund Scam

Expedia recently reported that scammers are posing as their employees to take money from unknowing consumers.

According to the most recent press release, people are calling customer service numbers that have reported to be Expedia but are in fact scammers. Visitors are asking the representative on the other end of the line to change or confirm a change in reservation they had made through the Expedia website. The scammers on the other end are falsely indicating that the refund site is not working and are telling callers to purchase gift cards to receive their refunds or change their booking.

Expedia and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) have teamed up to alert customers of these scams. Expedia is also reportedly working with search engines on reducing fake ads, adding additional information about these scams in their customer service portals, and overall making their contact for customer service more visible and easier to find.

According to the BBB, consumers who reported these scams come from 17 different states and Canada and have lost around $10,000 in total, with one individual having lost $3,400. The BBB says they tend to see a pickup in travel scams like these at the beginning of spring when people are planning their summer vacations. 

Expedia states, “Our goal is to ensure travelers have a seamless and trouble-free booking experience with us, and it’s incredibly unfortunate that scammers have disrupted our customers’ well-deserved vacations and travel plans. Rest assured that we are also working hard to identify ways to prevent this from happening in the future.”

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