Search for a last-minute flight and the sponsored result that undercuts every airline by a third can look irresistible. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) and the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) keep warning about the same funnel: a fake or hollow booking site, a phone number in the ad, a “ticket” that exists only in an email, then a call demanding more money to “finalise,” “reissue” or fix a sudden price rise. Legitimate carriers do not complete a paid booking that way.
Sometimes the site clones a known brand with a one-letter typo in the address. Sometimes it is a third-party page with no physical address, broken support and grammar that falls apart under stress. You enter card details; hours later someone claiming to be airline support says taxes, seat fees or a fare increase must be paid now or the reservation dies. Parallel scams send fake cancellation texts for real trips and push you to call their number. The FTC has also described impostors who reply to stranded travellers on social media and harvest booking codes and bank details.
Book through the airline’s own app or website, or a travel firm you already trust and can check. Before you pay, read the URL carefully and confirm the flight on the carrier’s site with the same dates. If something goes wrong, use the contact details published on that official site — not the number in an unexpected email, text or ad. Prefer a credit card so you can dispute a charge. Ignore anyone who needs gift cards, crypto or a same-day wire to “save” a seat.
If a bargain fare already took money and no usable ticket appeared, contact the card issuer, keep confirmations and call recordings, and start at Get help. Paid “ticket recovery” outfits that want another fee first: Fake recovery.
This article is for general information only. It is not legal or financial advice. Details change. If you have lost money, contact your bank or card issuer and use the routes on the help pages.