Holidaymakers warned over costly scam affecting 'every airline

Holidaymakers have been warned about a costly scam affecting all airlines, which could see personal data stolen. The consumer body Which? has discovered that fake social media accounts on X (formerly Twitter) are posing as UK airlines in an attempt to gather customer information.

The scam involves fake accounts mimicking UK airlines such as British Airways, Jet2, TUI, Ryanair, Easyjet, Wizz Air and Virgin Atlantic. These fraudulent accounts are reaching out to customers who have contacted the airline with an issue.

These scam accounts use language almost identical to the legitimate accounts and even use the same profile picture, making it easy for unsuspecting holidaymakers to be fooled.

Get the latest news straight to your phone by joining us on WhatsApp

A spokesperson for X told the BBC: "On X, you may not misappropriate the identity of individuals, groups, or organisations or use a fake identity to deceive others. Accounts that pose as another person, group, or organisation in a confusing or deceptive manner may be permanently suspended under X's misleading and deceptive identities policy," reports Birmingham Live.

Which? highlighted an instance where a researcher contacted the genuine Wizz Air X account, @wizzair, about a flight delay and was almost immediately contacted by two fake accounts.

"Both used near-identical language, apologising for the inconvenience, stating that they had 'already escalated this matter to the relevant department' and requesting a 'reachable WhatsApp number for assistance' via DM [direct message]," it said.

An easyJet spokesperson said: "We advise customers to only follow and engage with our sole official channel @easyJet, which is identifiable by the gold verification badge for official businesses, for the latest updates or to seek support and to be vigilant and to not engage with or click on any links from other accounts."

A Wizz Air spokesperson added: "We continue to report fake social media accounts and would like to remind customers to never give their personal details out on these channels. Passengers should contact customer service via our claims or call centres."