Sam Salam, a Canadian man found himself out of over $2,200 after unknowingly booking a trip to Brazil through a deceptive travel website. In October, Salam Googled travel companies to arrange his flight to visit his girlfriend. Despite thinking he booked through Flight Centre Canada, he became suspicious when the ticket received seemed unusual, prompting him to visit a Flight Centre office in person. It was then revealed that he had fallen victim to a fraudulent company.
“When I went in the office, they already knew about this problem and said it was a scam,” shared Salam, who was ultimately scammed out of $2,280. Flight Centre Canada is now cautioning customers about fake websites mimicking their company, advising vigilance during the booking process to avoid such scams.
Chris Lynes, the managing director of Flight Centre Canada, highlighted the emergence of fraudulent websites imitating Flight Centre Canada, often using the American spelling “center” in the link. The company is actively working with Google and its legal team to address the issue, but new imposter sites keep appearing.
Despite the setback, Salam maintained a positive outlook, expressing gratitude for his safety and a good trip with his girlfriend. He emphasized the importance of using credit cards for travel bookings, as he could not secure a refund due to his debit card payment.
“We are in contact with Google, and our legal team has been working on this to remove these sites, but as soon as we get one down, another one seems to pop up,” said Lynes.
Salam, unable to secure a refund due to his debit card payment, advised others to use credit cards for travel bookings, as they offer better chances of obtaining a refund in case of issues.