Lufthansa appears to have fallen victim to scammers that set up fake social media accounts trying to lure unsuspecting customers and the company is now warning people to pay close attention.
Fake social media accounts on all platforms have become problematic because some people aren’t careful when communicating with such accounts through direct messaging.
It’s highly recommended to make sure you are on a trustworthy channel before submitting reservation details and other requests of a personal nature, let alone payment data.
The company first warned against this in late June, but since then, the issues have continued to manifest, and today they refreshed their call to pay more attention.
Lufthansa posted this on Twitter (now X) today to remind their customers:
Please be aware that fake Lufthansa accounts continue emerging, you can find a list of our official accounts below or on the following page: https://t.co/c1OISNIbH5 https://t.co/cX4BEcy9vL
— Lufthansa (@lufthansa) August 10, 2023
The main issue here isn’t just that some people set up fake accounts but that people who encounter problems during their journey are falling victim to these scammers while seeking support from the company’s social media team.
Unfortunately, some people send a lot of information without an appropriate amount of care. You wouldn’t believe the number of unsolicited emails we get every day, including all personal information, reservation, passport, and payment data. We usually answer that we aren’t the travel provider and can’t help with such requests. We also hint that the sender should be careful with the type of information they submit.
Do not send any such information to anyone unless the company specifically asks for verification of this data and then apply a good amount of scrutiny.
Conclusion
Lufthansa is warning customers about fake social media accounts that have sprung up on Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms. Usually, they are taken down quickly, but sometimes they stick around long enough to manage and scam some people.
Please don’t send personal information to social media accounts unsolicited, and make sure the account you consult is the verified account of the company you’re trying to get in touch with.
It’s easy to overlook a key sign that an account or website might be fake or, at the very least, non-official. The same goes for various websites offering to issue Electronic Travel Authorizations and e-Visas. Only use those that are official government sites and spend a few minutes digging rather than clicking on the first best Google result.