How the scam works:
The criminal posts an advertisement on a website like Craigslist, Kijiji, Gumtree, or Oodle, claiming to be an airline employee. He explains he has transferable tickets that he cannot use and wants to sell them. Often these tickets go for less than half price.
The victim will get the tickets and pay the scammer, not knowing the tickets are refundable.
After receiving the payment, the crook refunds the tickets and gets the money back. The victim will have paid the scammer but then will find out they have no valid tickets. Worse yet if the victim doesn't find out till they get to the terminal, they will end up having to pay top dollar for their ticket to wherever they were planning to go!
Not a nice way to start your holidays.
How to avoid:
Do not pay cash for airline tickets. And if you see tickets online that seem too good to be true, you need to do your homework before buying. Be careful! Craiglist encourages people not to transfer money through Western Union or other overnight money transfer companies. When you buy your plane tickets only use reputable companies.
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