easyJet scam: fraudsters are trying to trick customers affected by flight cancellations

Customers affected by easyJet’s latest wave of flight cancellations are being bombarded on Twitter by fake customer service accounts.

Yesterday, the airline confirmed it has cancelled 1,700 flights that were due to depart from Gatwick airport this summer, and scammers have been quick to try to capitalise.

Read on for advice on how to spot and report Twitter scams. 

 Outsmart the scammers – our free scam alert service can help you spot and avoid the latest scams

Fake easyJet Twitter accounts

Dodgy easyJet Twitter accounts have been popping up since the airline announced the cancellations. While some have now been shut down, we found five still in operation.

Some of these recently created accounts include links to an ‘Online Help Hub’ in their bios. These links actually take you to phishing websites, where scammers will attempt to obtain your details.

Infiltrating Twitter complaints

Fake accounts have also been responding to frustrated easyJet customers asking them to send DMs (direct messages). We contacted one of these accounts and were quickly asked for our phone number. 

We’ve also seen examples of scammers infiltrating ongoing conversations between customers and easyJet on Twitter.

Typically, genuine customer service representatives will initially ask for your booking or reference or flight number, so be wary of anyone asking you for personal information.

Legitimate companies do sometimes ask customers to DM them to get help, but on close inspection you’ll notice that the messages above don’t come from easyJet’s genuine Twitter account. The airline's only genuine account is @easyJet and contains a gold verification tick.

Another useful way to spot a dodgy account is to check how many followers it has. Many of these fake accounts only have a handful, while easyJet’s genuine account has more than half a million.

easyJet told Which?: ‘We continuously monitor for and are aware of these accounts. We continue to report fake accounts to Twitter so it can take any necessary action. We advise customers to only follow and engage with our sole official Twitter channel for the latest updates or to seek support. Don't engage with or click on any links from other accounts.’

• Find out more: learn about your rights if your flight has been cancelled

How to report Twitter scams

To report a dodgy Twitter account, click on the three dots above its bio and select ‘report’. You can report individual tweets by clicking the three dots above the tweet and selecting ‘report.’

If you give away any details to a scammer, such as your email address, change the passwords on any affected accounts straight away.

If you give away your phone number, be on your guard against suspicious calls as fraudsters may try to target you with vishing scams.

Finally, if you’ve lost money to a scammer, call your bank immediately using the number on the back of your card and report the scam to Action Fraud.