American Airlines has posted online several examples of scam emails, claiming to be from the airline in an effort to help protect their customers from falling victim to the scam.
The phishing attack which has been active as recently as November 2011 was designed to con American Airlines customers into surrendering their personal information and passwords.
One of the example emails that the airline posted was an email claiming that the recipient had paid for a $278 flight to New York and that they should login in and download their ticket. Another email promises a reward of $50 for completing a five question survey.
As part of American Airlines proactive advice to its customers, they warn anyone who receives bogus emails not to follow any of the links and instead to forward the email, in its entirety, to webmaster@aa.com
American Airlines spokesman Ed Martelle said, “We are aware of the scam. It is being investigated by our corporate security department so we can find a way to shut it down”.
Make sure you do not fall prey to a phishing scam like this with AVG’s top three tips to staying safe.
Too Good To Be True
In these days of New Year sales it is tempting to open up an offer that seems too good to be true. More often than not, these “incredible offers” aren’t legit and you should exercise caution when investigating.
Trust Your Instinct
If you receive an email claiming you’ve paid nearly $300 for a flight that you’re unaware of, chances are that you haven’t. These tricks play on your insecurities, be confident in your actions online.
Get Protected
Getting a basic level of internet security can help protect you from phishing attacks and fraudsters by warning you when you are going to an unsafe site. AVG’s Linkscanner technology does this before you land on the page so that you are aware of the threat prior to exposure.
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