There is something rotten in this state of GlobalPass - something very rotten.
How large could this fraud problem be? The only GP membership count I could find online* is a bit old but Mr. Guy Booth makes the claim that the program had 1.5 million members. If only 1/4 of 1% of them are affected and the average fraud is $1,000 then that makes the total close to $4,000,000.
What need be demanded of them [GP] is an audit of all GlobalPass Awards that can be linked to card fraud - How can this be done?
Simply. GP can e-mail/or contact otherwise/ all of its award recipients over the past year/2 years/whatever and simply query them:
"After making a GP award transaction was there any fraudulent activity on the cc that was used to pay GP for whatever charges involved in the award transaction?" GP seems not willing to do this -not willing to clean its own house.
Had GP not pulled its midnight
== no more-awards == coup most of us would never have considered linking cc fraud/id-theft with what is so dear to our traveling hearts: an award program.
I have seen the
"me too's" grow on this forum over the past weeks. I was never a poster - but have always enjoyed the banter and tips offered here- I give thanks to the Forum for exposing this fraud.. Our trust in GP [in our offering of our cc and personal details] has been abused.
- I need to be forthcoming at this point -
after reading posts on the Forum I contacted CapitalOne the issuer of the card where fraud ** had occurred shortly after a GP award [MEX-LIM-MEX TA C class] had been issued. Indeed that was the card I used to pay $25 to GP. Thanks to the Forum I think the fraud can be definitely linked to GP. I contacted Mr. Guy Booth via an overnight express courier and suggested that 'for the damage done' --- (a ruined wedding celebration in the US) I'd agree to settle my injuries in a gentlemanly way. *** There was no response from GP [15 Aug 05].
OK - a game of bluffsmanship for sure and I was out for myself [hoping to get my lost 472,393 miles back*** and use them under new rules or get a cash out] but as we all know that is the game****. I am/have this morning/begun to take GP to task by filing a complaint with the Florida Attorney General's office ***** and advising CapitalOne of where I think the fraud/id-theft originated. I encourage all other affected GP members who have had the same Award/Fraud-ID theft experience to follow. With sufficient reporting a common denominator will emerge and the actual culprit revealed - although probably the acts of a dishonest individual rather than a corporate practice, the culprit will nonetheless be a part of Globalpass which has a duty to protect our identities and personal information from abuse. It can be argued perhaps that we suffer no actual financial damage as the card companies cover us - but indeed everyone is victimized by this as the costs of fraud are spread over all card holders. There is no free lunch.
If I may add a personal note to Mr. Guy Booth who will I'm sure be reading this: paraphrasing the recent IF interview:
"what part of promotion don't you understand?" Your attitude toward your customers is in question. We did the deal you cooked up. My crew and I gave back 1,000,000 miles in charitable donations so don't take us as greedy sob's -you had a weak promo that should have been debugged first -a simple through ticket using IATA rules was easy to write - in my case MEX-GUA[KL!]-SAL-MGA --side trip MGA-MIA-MGA same day-- then SJO-GYE-LIM-//IQT-LIM-UIO-BOG-SJO-GUA [KL again]-MEX and the bus home. LP was lucky the Pudding Guy was more interested in tooting his horn in the WSJ than letting a great deal fly on and on. Well, maybe he did us all a favor - more Million Milers could have grounded LP before anyone got airborne on an award.
==
Khunbill, Guanajuato GTO MEX
*
http://www.southfloridaceo.com/archi..._AVIATION.html
A great bit of bluster with such lines as: “If we do these deals, we’ll be 100 airlines by the end of the year,” says Booth. “That will really put GlobalPass on the map.”
**[Ross Stores in Sarasota and several declined authorizations [[all from FL ]] as my card had been maxed. As I paid off the card balance it maxed again.******]
*** oh, in a crazy side-note: my remaining 472,393 miles had expired [due to inactivity] a few days before GP's midnight coup.
**** I come from the mile-run school of -follow the rules/do the deal/keep quiet/enjoy the awards-
***** LINKS:
Florida Consumer Complaint form:
http://myfloridalegal.com/Contact.ns...conomic_Crimes
also For identity theft - reports to FTC
https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/widtpubl$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU03
"ID Theft occurs when someone uses your name or other identifying information for their personal gain."
.****** Prior to a US trip in June I paid off this card so I could have full use of it during the trip. But the card maxed again. I have limited credit and needed this card to rent cars/buy dinners/etc for an important wedding my wife and I were attending outside of DCA.