Aug 22, 2015, 2:16 pm
Last edit by: Prospero
This thread is dedicated to issues around American Airlines AAdvantage accounts being invaded, taken over or compromised resulting in theft of awards, miles, upgrades and other instruments - and related issues.
For issues about account freezes or closures, airline accusations of fraud against the AAdvantage programm and the like please see: Account audit / fraud: award / miles / SWU / VIP sale, barter, etc (consolidated).
If you find your account has been breached or have unexplained activity such as awards you did not arrange, contact AA immediately to protect and gain control over your account and to be made whole.
To help protect your account, be sure
If your email information is correct in aa.com, changes to your account should be sent to you as follows (even if someone changes your email address, though it's of no help if someone pirates your email account):
For issues about account freezes or closures, airline accusations of fraud against the AAdvantage programm and the like please see: Account audit / fraud: award / miles / SWU / VIP sale, barter, etc (consolidated).
If you find your account has been breached or have unexplained activity such as awards you did not arrange, contact AA immediately to protect and gain control over your account and to be made whole.
To help protect your account, be sure
- Have a strong, protected and secure password
- check your account periodically
- be aware and keep track of your transactions
- control or destroy documents such as boarding passes
- use antivirus software- if your personal computer is hacked they can gain control of your AA account
- Be very wary of logging into your account on public computers, like at internet cafés or the hotel business center, where keystroke loggers could be installed
If your email information is correct in aa.com, changes to your account should be sent to you as follows (even if someone changes your email address, though it's of no help if someone pirates your email account):
Dear JDiver,
Thanks for visiting AA.com. This email confirms that your account has been updated as follows.
Your contact information has been updated, but is not included in this e-mail for the security of your account.
If you did not change your contact information or if you have any concerns about your account, please contact aa.com Web Services.
If you have unsubscribed to one of our email products, we will remove your address from our mailing list as soon as possible. Please be aware that you may continue to receive emails for up to 10 business days.
If you have subscribed to AA email products and are not receiving them, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) may use filters to prevent unwanted emails from reaching your inbox. Sometimes, these filters also block messages you want to receive. In most cases, adding us to your list of trusted senders will solve this issue. In AOL, select "Add Address"; in Yahoo! Mail, Outlook or Outlook Express select "Add To Address Book"; or Hotmail or MSN, select "Save Address(es)". If you need further assistance, contact your ISP's technical support department and ask how to "whitelist" emails from AA.
AA.com
American Airlines
Thanks for visiting AA.com. This email confirms that your account has been updated as follows.
Your contact information has been updated, but is not included in this e-mail for the security of your account.
If you did not change your contact information or if you have any concerns about your account, please contact aa.com Web Services.
If you have unsubscribed to one of our email products, we will remove your address from our mailing list as soon as possible. Please be aware that you may continue to receive emails for up to 10 business days.
If you have subscribed to AA email products and are not receiving them, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) may use filters to prevent unwanted emails from reaching your inbox. Sometimes, these filters also block messages you want to receive. In most cases, adding us to your list of trusted senders will solve this issue. In AOL, select "Add Address"; in Yahoo! Mail, Outlook or Outlook Express select "Add To Address Book"; or Hotmail or MSN, select "Save Address(es)". If you need further assistance, contact your ISP's technical support department and ask how to "whitelist" emails from AA.
AA.com
American Airlines
Account fraud / breach: my account compromised, awards taken, etc.
Aug 24, 2017, 6:28 pm
#406
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: STL
Programs: MR Plat Premier, IHG Spire, Hilton Diamond, Southwest CP
Posts: 623
Nope this one was a crime. Three different Asian names booking first class tickets through PEK. I am a middle-aged white guy in the Midwest with a very Anglo sounding name who has never been to Asia.
So, I am assuming that no one has any other strategies to get Customer Service to help speed this along? I understand the policy of needing to investigate fraud, but just looking to speak with someone live who can tell me...hey, hang in there, it is not going to take 6 months but will probably be 2-3 weeks (or whatever) to sort this out. Right now, the answer is just for me to sit silent for another potential 23 weeks while they work it out.
So, I am assuming that no one has any other strategies to get Customer Service to help speed this along? I understand the policy of needing to investigate fraud, but just looking to speak with someone live who can tell me...hey, hang in there, it is not going to take 6 months but will probably be 2-3 weeks (or whatever) to sort this out. Right now, the answer is just for me to sit silent for another potential 23 weeks while they work it out.
Aug 24, 2017, 6:30 pm
#407
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
FWIW, my one experience with this was years ago. I noticed 25K missing from my account. It showed that miles were used for LBB-DFW round trip. By the time I noticed it, the trip had already been flown.
First of all, I would never cash in miles for such a short trip. Also, I had no reason to go to LBB.
As it ends up, someone whose (name or account number) was similar to mine had appeared at the ticket counter in LBB and cashed in miles for a trip. They thought they were using their own miles. The AAgent made a simple mistake when looking up the account to pull the miles.
They fixed the issue within a matter of days. Perhaps it even took just hours. All I'm saying is that it could possibly be a fat-finger typing error, instead of a premeditated crime.
First of all, I would never cash in miles for such a short trip. Also, I had no reason to go to LBB.
As it ends up, someone whose (name or account number) was similar to mine had appeared at the ticket counter in LBB and cashed in miles for a trip. They thought they were using their own miles. The AAgent made a simple mistake when looking up the account to pull the miles.
They fixed the issue within a matter of days. Perhaps it even took just hours. All I'm saying is that it could possibly be a fat-finger typing error, instead of a premeditated crime.
Good news is that nothing else seems to be hit, just this one AA account. Yes, 6 months is my point. I don't have the cash to book as I will be using my miles to book international business class for a 2018 trip. Problem is...might not have the answer back before the available flights are gone.
Anyone have a plan of attack that I have not thought of? A public twitter post was going to be a potential next step.
Anyone have a plan of attack that I have not thought of? A public twitter post was going to be a potential next step.
It definitely won't take 6 months, but give it some time.
Aug 24, 2017, 6:34 pm
#408
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
It will NOT take that long, but if this only happened 11 days ago or so, it's gonna take bit longer.
Don't Tweet it and there most definitely is not "a strategy to get Customer Service to help speed this along."
Trust me.
Did you file the police report?
Aug 24, 2017, 8:09 pm
#410
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: An Island Paradise Near Seattle
Posts: 599
If we are talking enough miles for multiple round trips in F, consider going one step further and file this as a homeowners insurance claim. In some jurisdictions the miles could be considered personal property held outside the home. The value of the miles would be the cost of buying them directly from AA, not the value of the tickets you could purchase with them.
Aug 24, 2017, 8:56 pm
#412
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: South Park, Metropolis
Programs: AA LT PLT 3MM, Hilton/Marriott/SPG/Club Carlson GLD, IHG PLT
Posts: 4,608
Please pay attention to what JonNYC has to say. He has plenty of experience in AA matters and has assisted numerous people in similar situations.
Aug 24, 2017, 9:16 pm
#413
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
Thanks 
That 6 months thing is science fiction, whatever agent told the OP that either misspoke or was misinformed, etc. It can take bit (possibly lengthened a bit by the time of year,) but no way would take that long barring extremely unusual circumstances.
That 6 months thing is science fiction, whatever agent told the OP that either misspoke or was misinformed, etc. It can take bit (possibly lengthened a bit by the time of year,) but no way would take that long barring extremely unusual circumstances.
Aug 24, 2017, 9:20 pm
#414
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Sorry you're having this issue intrude itself in your life.
You might want to look over http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...taken-etc.html.
You might want to look over http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...taken-etc.html.
Aug 24, 2017, 9:42 pm
#415
Join Date: Jul 2001
Programs: AA EP
Posts: 2,203
Except u don't own the miles. AA does.
If we are talking enough miles for multiple round trips in F, consider going one step further and file this as a homeowners insurance claim. In some jurisdictions the miles could be considered personal property held outside the home. The value of the miles would be the cost of buying them directly from AA, not the value of the tickets you could purchase with them.
Aug 24, 2017, 10:12 pm
#416
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Madison WI
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT - 2.9MM, Lifetime AC, HHonors Gold, Marriott Gold, IHG Plat Amb, Hertz Precs Crcl
Posts: 2,213
Yes, totally get that. Time and time again. What I have trouble reconciling is how you can purchase miles, for real dollars and zero other consideration (less a processing fee) and essentially have it be a "donation" - since the purchases has no ownership to the purchaser. I'm certainly not in the legal area, and have no vested interest either way - just curious as it defies my sense of "common logic" - although I'll admit that has little to do with legal interpretation! 
Aug 25, 2017, 5:42 am
#417
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: jfk area
Programs: AA platinum; 2MM AA, Delta Diamond, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 10,291
When I use miles, later I get an email from AA notifying me that my transacation took place; they want me to notify them if i didn't use those miles. Presumably that notification is not just "window dressing" and AA will take action in a timely fashion to recitify fraud.
Some internet sites allow 2-pass verification (gmail for one), perhaps AA should have this system in place optionally/required when miles are used.
Some internet sites allow 2-pass verification (gmail for one), perhaps AA should have this system in place optionally/required when miles are used.
Aug 25, 2017, 7:16 am
#418
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Boston, USA
Programs: AA EXP, TK Elite, HH Gold, SPG/Marriott Gold
Posts: 939
Just wondering if there will be criminal investigations? Will AA go after the people that used the ticket ?
If this was international ticket they should have PP number and lot more
information about them, correct ? If airline just lets this go without serious
prosecution (cost of doing business excuse) then the bad guys will continue to
do this IMHO...
If this was international ticket they should have PP number and lot more
information about them, correct ? If airline just lets this go without serious
prosecution (cost of doing business excuse) then the bad guys will continue to
do this IMHO...
Last edited by flyalways; Aug 25, 2017 at 11:10 am
Aug 25, 2017, 7:55 am
#419
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Pittsburgh
Programs: MR/SPG LT Titanium, AA LT PLT, UA SLV, Avis PreferredPlus
Posts: 31,008
????huh????
I suspect the "up to 6 months" is exactly that - for the most complex cases, this is the outside timeline. Like reporters saying a convicted felon could get "up to 25 years", when they get 3. I don't have experience going through this, but it would be interesting if others who have can chime in with actual timeframes to provide a more realistic expectation.
Unfortunately, when fraud is involved, companies typically asssume the worst - everyone was involved, collusion, etc. - so won't share info with the "suspects" until they can collect enough info to be convinced you weren't involved. I'd expect 3-4 weeks, though I have no basis for that.
I suspect the "up to 6 months" is exactly that - for the most complex cases, this is the outside timeline. Like reporters saying a convicted felon could get "up to 25 years", when they get 3. I don't have experience going through this, but it would be interesting if others who have can chime in with actual timeframes to provide a more realistic expectation.
Unfortunately, when fraud is involved, companies typically asssume the worst - everyone was involved, collusion, etc. - so won't share info with the "suspects" until they can collect enough info to be convinced you weren't involved. I'd expect 3-4 weeks, though I have no basis for that.
Aug 25, 2017, 8:07 am
#420
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: LAX
Posts: 3,267
Corporations are run by managers who work for managers (not the shareholders, not the bondholders, and not the company owners). As long as the losses due to fraud aren't big enough to put a corporate manager's job in jeopardy, nothing will be done.
Besides, from a manager's point of view: why bother? It's not your money.
Google "US Bank Mastercard gift card fraud" for another good example of fraud that would be easy to stop if the company felt like trying. In a nutshell, US Bank numbers their gift cards sequentially (1, 2, 3, 4) instead of randomly. And they use the same few numbers on every card, so hackers don't need to guess 16 numbers. Once they find a number that works, they can just proceed sequentially from there and hack lots of other cards. This has been going on for years.
It would be easy to fix this by randomizing the numbers, but they haven't done it. That would be work.
PS--Never buy US Bank gift cards! ;-)