Originally Posted by Brendan
One broker told me only his first name Jeff & signed his check to me with an illegible last name, which I learned from my caller ID unit.
Another broker instructed me to book a ticket with only 7 days advance. When the check did not arrive, I cancelled the ticket the evening before the flight & re-deposited my miles. That con man or his buddy had no ticket on arriving at the departure airport
! Then I stopped selling miles.
I think it's important to note that there
are honest coupon brokers.
When airlines (and, alas, Frequent Flyer) try to label all coupon sellers as criminals, it's like casinos falsely labelling card counters as "cheats." Counting cards at blackjack isn't a crime; neither is buying or selling airline miles.
But in many casinos, card-counting is "against the house rules" (which is not the same as against the law). And buying or selling miles is against airline policies. But it's not illegal.
In fact, the airlines themselves have developed a nice little side business selling miles.
Back to the original topic: If you buy a flight coupon from a broker, pay only with a credit card. The crooks usually avoid credit card payments because if you paid with a credit card and got ripped off, you can have the charge reversed.
There may be exceptions, but outfits that accept "cash only" clearly are more risky for the customer.
In the mid-90s I used one coupon broker for a number of international trips. Never any problem, terrific service, very straightforward. (That was before I recognized the benefits of concentrating my mileage earnings on one primary program.)