Former BA Employee Stole $81K Through Lost Bag Claims

A former British Airways employee has been convicted of stealing from airline through false lost luggage claims.

A former customer complaint associate for British Airways learned this week she will see jail time after being convicted of stealing from the airline. The Shields Gazette reports Charlotte Syers, 27, will spend the next year in prison after bilking the U.K. flag carrier for upwards of $81,000 through fraudulent claims.

Syers reportedly began her scam by setting up fraudulent lost luggage claims for flyers aboard British Airways flights in 2014. When the claim was paid under EU regulations, Syers would send the claims to her personal bank account.

According to court proceedings, Syers scams didn’t stop with the fake luggage claims. The customer service employee also stood accused of printing as many as 40 e-vouchers for discounted flights, meant for customers who have a negative experience with the airline. Instead of awarding them to flyers, Syers sold them on eBay for personal profit.

Syers’ scamming tactics were discovered when one of her claims was mistakenly sent to a legitimate flyer aboard the airline, who had lost luggage which was later recovered. The alert led to an investigation by the airline, which discovered a series of false claims dating back to 2014.

In her defense, attorneys for Syers told the court that she was suffering from depression, without a previous history of theft, and hoped to begin training for a new job at a local college. However, despite the pleas of her attorneys, Syers was still sentenced to jail time.

“You were in a position of trust. You were trusted to do your job honestly and accurately,” Judge Edward Bindloss told Syers during sentencing Wednesday. “Given the breach of trust here, this case is so serious only an immediate custodial sentence can be justified.”

[Photo: British Airways]