Expedia: Don’t press ‘1’ for more information about a free trip or another prize – it’s a scam

Expedia.com has asked me to warn consumers that the firm is getting complaints about  a travel scam targeting Expedia consumers.

In this scam, con artists call consumers claiming to be from Expedia, then tell listeners they’ve won a prize.  After a bit more trickery, targets are asked to pay a fee in receive a prize.

Expedia has alerted the Washington State attorney general’s office about the scam, according to Lindsay Cameron, a public relations representative who emailed me recently and asked me to warn readers.

Criminals try to tempt consumers, saying the prize is a cash card, reward points, trips vouchers, or credit for future travel.

“The hacker typically calls from a number that mirrors the first six digits of the call recipient’s phone number, to give a ring of familiarity,” Cameron wrote. “The recorded message claims that the customer has won a prize from Expedia, and asks the listener to press 1 for more information. Then, the listener is either called back by or connected to a person at the ‘call center’ who works to convince the consumer to pay a sum, typically $59, in order to receive the (nonexistent) prize. ”

I have found mention of similar scams on scam-detectors.com targeting customers of Hyatt and WestJet earlier this year. Some users on that site complaint they’ve been getting calls like this “for months.” There’s another set of fresh complaints on this page. There’s enough complaints that one thing is clear: somebody is fallen for this. No doubt, plenty of somebodys.

Expedia characterized the prevlance of the scam by saying it has received “a number of reports (from) consumers.”

The advice on how to handle this is simple:

“If you or any of your readers get any calls that sound like the above, please hang up,” Cameron says.

Earlier this year, Expedia sent warning notices to some consumers that a third-party system had been hacked, and computer criminals had gained access to some travelers’ name, email, and travel details.  The incidents don’t appear to be connected, though a list like that would make scam called sound much more believable.

It’s unclear if the criminals are calling randomly, or specifically contacting known Expedia customers.  Cameron said the firm believes the calls originate from Mexico.