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AC imposes 'no fly' ban, demands $18K from woman after ticket scam

AC imposes 'no fly' ban, demands $18K from woman after ticket scam

Old Jun 4, 2019, 3:06 pm
  #61  
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Originally Posted by Agosti
I just want to express that it is unreasonable to require people to have a knowledge base before they can buy a flight ticket.
But is it reasonable to buy a ticket from a random anonymous person on Internet?
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Old Jun 4, 2019, 3:13 pm
  #62  
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Originally Posted by MT_Switch


Edit: Anyway back to the real reason for the story, that being using stolen credit cards to buy air tickets. Does the sales terms and Canadian law consider the buyer and traveler both contractually obligated and binding to money owed on the ticket sale, since those two can be two separate entities? If not, I doubt AC can force the traveler to pay the costs through court as AC is primarily selling an obligation to Buyer ABC to transport Passenger XYZ, and therefore can only go after Buyer ABC for the loss, and at most cancel the existing ticket for Passenger XYZ instead of banning them. Imagine if some irresponsible parent used a fraudulent card to buy a ticket for an Unaccompanied Minor, I just can't see how AC is going to force the kid to pay for the fare difference.
I don't think the figure of a "buyer" even exists. The transaction i.e. the contract takes place directly between the ticket holder and the airline. For instance, TAs are "agents" in the sense that they are agents of the airline. That someone bought her a ticket using a stolen credit card number does not mean she is not the buyer. She bought a ticket using a stolen credit card number, so she committed the fraud. Whether gullibility or stupidity calls for sympathy is of course a more subjective question.
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Old Jun 4, 2019, 3:13 pm
  #63  
 
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I suspect there is more to the story than the vaunted CBC investigative team has bothered to find out... some random thoughts- truly the first outreach from AC was a no fly and an invoice? no CC Algorithm picked up this many flights on fraudulent card{s}- esp given the geography involved and the relatively long time frame?? Students don't use the internet/technology for purchases???

I suspect some where down the road additional facts will emerge.
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Old Jun 4, 2019, 3:22 pm
  #64  
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Originally Posted by canolakid
I suspect there is more to the story than the vaunted CBC investigative team has bothered to find out... some random thoughts- truly the first outreach from AC was a no fly and an invoice? no CC Algorithm picked up this many flights on fraudulent card{s}- esp given the geography involved and the relatively long time frame?? Students don't use the internet/technology for purchases???

I suspect some where down the road additional facts will emerge.
There may be more to the story, but I could see that AC might not have been able to identify the person very easily ot fast. "Ann" is likely not her legal name, and there might be quite a few people around with the same transliterated Chinese name. So to uniquely identify her and her contact information might have taken a few repeated offences. As we know, the AC fraud dept had been quite aggressive in recent years, but in this instance, might not be easy. Especially since in many cases, the charge is typically only reversed after the flight, and she likely got tickets bought on different credit cards. Incidentally, credit cards number are printed out on itineraries, so she should have been able to tell her card was not used to pay. At least if she would have bothered to look.
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Old Jun 4, 2019, 3:25 pm
  #65  
 
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Originally Posted by canolakid
I suspect there is more to the story than the vaunted CBC investigative team has bothered to find out... some random thoughts- truly the first outreach from AC was a no fly and an invoice? no CC Algorithm picked up this many flights on fraudulent card{s}- esp given the geography involved and the relatively long time frame?? Students don't use the internet/technology for purchases???

I suspect some where down the road additional facts will emerge.
If you read TAF, the first indication of problems was at the airport when she was denied boarding.

I'm kinda curious why she screenshotted the conversations though.
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Old Jun 4, 2019, 3:26 pm
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Originally Posted by Stranger
There may be more to the story, but I could see that AC might not have been able to identify the person very easily ot fast. "Ann" is likely not her legal name, and there might be quite a few people around with the same transliterated Chinese name. So to uniquely identify her and her contact information might have taken a few repeated offences. As we know, the AC fraud dept had been quite aggressive in recent years, but in this instance, might not be easy. Especially since in many cases, the charge is typically only reversed after the flight, and she likely got tickets bought on different credit cards. Incidentally, credit cards number are printed out on itineraries, so she should have been able to tell her card was not used to pay. At least if she would have bothered to look.
The name may be common but a student on a VISA has paperwork that needs to be presented each time they leave/enter the country. Intl flights would have the additional passport/paperwork checks as well. Not seeing it, TBH.
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Old Jun 4, 2019, 3:38 pm
  #67  
 
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I thought you had to be an AC spouse to fly without the employee. Otherwise the employee had to accompany you. The missing part of the story is what ahs AC done to the employee selling discounted tickets?
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Old Jun 4, 2019, 3:40 pm
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Many airlines require the production of the credit card used to purchase the ticket at check-in. If AC has similar requirement, it would have stopped the fraud at check in on the first flight.
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Old Jun 4, 2019, 3:58 pm
  #69  
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Originally Posted by canolakid
I suspect there is more to the story than the vaunted CBC investigative team has bothered to find out... some random thoughts- truly the first outreach from AC was a no fly and an invoice? no CC Algorithm picked up this many flights on fraudulent card{s}- esp given the geography involved and the relatively long time frame?? Students don't use the internet/technology for purchases???

I suspect some where down the road additional facts will emerge.
Sounds about right.
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Old Jun 4, 2019, 4:12 pm
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Originally Posted by Clipper801
Many airlines require the production of the credit card used to purchase the ticket at check-in. If AC has similar requirement, it would have stopped the fraud at check in on the first flight.
Oh please, not that. People change credit cards, cancel or replace them due to loss or fraud,etc.

Imagine the next CBC headline if they do that; "Grandma cannot fly to see grandchildren this Xmas thanks to AC credit card rule".
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Old Jun 4, 2019, 4:13 pm
  #71  
 
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The article doesn't mention employee discount... I assume that was in the screenshot that she shared with CBC, in Chinese?
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Old Jun 4, 2019, 4:25 pm
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Originally Posted by Resurrection
I thought you had to be an AC spouse to fly without the employee. Otherwise the employee had to accompany you. The missing part of the story is what ahs AC done to the employee selling discounted tickets?
That isn't the scam.

1. Steal (or buy stolen) CC
2. Advertise discount tickets, perhaps with a reasonable pitch like "emoyee pricing"
3. Regular person buys tickets, pays scammer with their CC,
4. Scammer buys ticket with stolen CC, passes on details to regular person
5. Scammer pockets all (3)
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Old Jun 4, 2019, 4:43 pm
  #73  
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Originally Posted by Jebby_ca
The article doesn't mention employee discount... I assume that was in the screenshot that she shared with CBC, in Chinese?
It does...
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Old Jun 4, 2019, 4:46 pm
  #74  
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Originally Posted by Clipper801
Many airlines require the production of the credit card used to purchase the ticket at check-in. If AC has similar requirement, it would have stopped the fraud at check in on the first flight.
AC does not. However if a ticket is bought on a third party card, they sometimes want the passenger to call the CC holder and confirm when checking in. I believe they recently added the requirement of entering the CC security digits too.
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Old Jun 4, 2019, 4:53 pm
  #75  
 
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Originally Posted by RangerNS
That isn't the scam.

1. Steal (or buy stolen) CC
2. Advertise discount tickets, perhaps with a reasonable pitch like "emoyee pricing"
3. Regular person buys tickets, pays scammer with their CC,
4. Scammer buys ticket with stolen CC, passes on details to regular person
5. Scammer pockets all (3)

Same with hacked AP accounts. AC cancels ticket even if the purchaser of that bargain flight-bought-on-line-from-someone is in transit somewhere. I guess the same is true of any stolen property you might have as well.
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