I think I'm royally forked.
Dec 7, 2016, 9:06 pm
#16
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 30,028
Been with Delta for about 7 years now, and have been gaining miles as we progress (500K lifetime). I'm currently a platinum member and about a $1000 shy of securing platinum for next year.
My wife flew out yesterday, and my agent booked her out of Chicago - India. Little did I know, he used my skymiles account to book her (and even changed the info to match her passport including sex, age and nationality. She didn't face any issues during travel and even managed to redeem 20K miles to be upgraded. I was looking at my account and noticed that they requested I call in to the skymiles number. This is when I found out that my account was flagged and is currently under audit.
Looking through all these posts on the web, it seems I might have triggered their revenue system and have accidentally committed fraud at Delta. Am I screwed? I had about $600 in certificates sitting in my account, are those gone? I also have about 70K miles that could be redeemed for travel, is that gone too?
I travel a lot over the year (obviously) and whether I should start planning on finding a different airline? Delta has been amazing and it sucks that I put myself in this mess. I do a lot of travel in the US as well as travel from US - Asia.
Any thoughts? I'm not looking for validation for my actions because I know I'm at fault, I would just hate to leave Delta.
My wife flew out yesterday, and my agent booked her out of Chicago - India. Little did I know, he used my skymiles account to book her (and even changed the info to match her passport including sex, age and nationality. She didn't face any issues during travel and even managed to redeem 20K miles to be upgraded. I was looking at my account and noticed that they requested I call in to the skymiles number. This is when I found out that my account was flagged and is currently under audit.
Looking through all these posts on the web, it seems I might have triggered their revenue system and have accidentally committed fraud at Delta. Am I screwed? I had about $600 in certificates sitting in my account, are those gone? I also have about 70K miles that could be redeemed for travel, is that gone too?
I travel a lot over the year (obviously) and whether I should start planning on finding a different airline? Delta has been amazing and it sucks that I put myself in this mess. I do a lot of travel in the US as well as travel from US - Asia.
Any thoughts? I'm not looking for validation for my actions because I know I'm at fault, I would just hate to leave Delta.
Dec 7, 2016, 9:11 pm
#17
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Seattle, Wa
Programs: AS 75K & BR Member- HHonors Diamond - Hertz PC - Marriott Titanium - IHG Ambassador
Posts: 2,379
Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to decieve
Dec 7, 2016, 9:50 pm
#18
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 1,989
The way I read OP's post, his TA supposedly put his SkyMiles number on his wife's ticket. This is supposedly to help OP (without his prior knowledge) to get award miles, MQM, MQS, MQD under OP's account. To make the SkyMiles account and ticket holder match, this TA also changed the account Gender / Age / Nationality. OP thought he was in the clear because his wife actually used miles from his account to do an upgrade during the travel.
The audit was triggered probably because the SkyMiles account was used to accrue benefits while the legitimate account holder was not the one flying. Issue was compounded by the fact it was not a simple put my SkyMiles number and someone else fly in but also the actions of faking account information to match the flyer.
You will have to convince Delta you did not do this and also it was a rogue TA who did it without direct / inferred instructions from you.
Dec 8, 2016, 2:25 am
#19
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Earth (non-US)
Programs: NW Gold->CO->UA->DL PM
Posts: 1,340
I'm putting early money down that the travel agent is a ticket broker and the cash purchase was the wife buying an award ticket. The change of the OP's account information for the upgrade triggered fraud protection.
Right or wrong on this prediction- there's a lot more to this story than the first post.....
Right or wrong on this prediction- there's a lot more to this story than the first post.....
Dec 8, 2016, 4:14 am
#20
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: San Antonio
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I'm confused. In one sentence OP says the TA did this without his knowledge. Later on in another, he says he's at fault. Which is it? If the TA did this then he's not at fault, just guilty of poorly picking a bad TA. If the TA told him what he did then he is at fault, even if the TA did it before asking. If he knew before wife flew.
The whole think leaves a question in my mind as to what happened in reality.
The whole think leaves a question in my mind as to what happened in reality.
Dec 8, 2016, 5:01 am
#21
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SIN (with a bit of ZRH sprinkled in)
Posts: 9,455
Great story, would love to hear the other side (sides?) of it 
Dec 8, 2016, 5:51 am
#22
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: SFO
Programs: DL Charter DM/DM/2MM, IHG Diamond Elite
Posts: 1,925
Funny how the OP has gone all silent! NOT!
Dec 8, 2016, 5:58 am
#23
Join Date: Jun 2016
Programs: BAEC, IB+, TAM multi+
Posts: 453
Haha, I bet the topic starter is the one who faked the info, and now he's blaming a 'travel agent'.
Am very interested but I don't think the OP will return sadly.
Am very interested but I don't think the OP will return sadly.
Dec 8, 2016, 6:15 am
#24
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 377
This is exactly how I analyzed the original post. It seems to fit the the holes in the story perfectly.
Dec 8, 2016, 6:37 am
#26
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: SNA
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K (until it expires then never again), *wood Plat, Marriott Gold
Posts: 9,239
This is my read on it as well, the whole "agent" story was funny to read but and all but I'd suggest the OP either come up with something more believable (the bar is low here) or better yet try the truth and beg for forgiveness - with the expectation that some penalty will be likely. Zero chance anyone is going to buy the nonsense in the OP and if I were DL I'd be extra harsh for lying (and thinking I was dumb enough to buy that story) after getting caught.
Dec 8, 2016, 6:43 am
#27
Join Date: Dec 2014
Programs: HHonors Gold, Hertz 5*, SPG Gold, AMEX Plat, buys Spirit tickets at the airport ticket counter ;-)
Posts: 498
I'm putting early money down that the travel agent is a ticket broker and the cash purchase was the wife buying an award ticket. The change of the OP's account information for the upgrade triggered fraud protection.
Right or wrong on this prediction- there's a lot more to this story than the first post.....
Right or wrong on this prediction- there's a lot more to this story than the first post.....
Dec 8, 2016, 6:44 am
#28
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: AA EP, HH LT Diamond
Posts: 1,001
Dec 8, 2016, 6:58 am
#30
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I'm confused. In one sentence OP says the TA did this without his knowledge. Later on in another, he says he's at fault. Which is it? If the TA did this then he's not at fault, just guilty of poorly picking a bad TA. If the TA told him what he did then he is at fault, even if the TA did it before asking. If he knew before wife flew.
The whole think leaves a question in my mind as to what happened in reality.
The whole think leaves a question in my mind as to what happened in reality.
The suggestion that it might have been a mileage broker is interesting, but my impression is that they deal with business class and IFC tickets, not coach. Moreover, it should not be possible to upgrade an award ticket using miles, other than by paying the price difference in miles, although a foreign outstation or even KLM at AMS might do it.