Originally Posted by
oliver2002
Airlines can't verify the status the applicant has via any system, they have to trust the submission the applicant made. LH &co were burned big time during the London/UK *A statusmatch in the 2000s, so they changed a few things and matched elites can't use some of the benefits easily. The AF/KL match a few years ago produced quite a few photoshop elites, but this has become the new normal for statusmatch campaigns. Using an agency like statusmatch.com is just a fig leaf to comply with any legal challenges the cuckolded loyalty program may have.
It's simple to check airline status of some airlines by knowing frequent flyer number and name, however it's a bit manual work - you just create a "dummy booking" with the personal data of the person who claims to have status - enter frequent flyer number of the claimed elite status - and check whether it will be displayed or perks like free advance seat reservation are applied to the dummy reservation.
E.g. validating Flying Blue status - you make a fake booking and go to seat reservation. When selecting seat options the system tells you the status of the passenger.