Unbelievable aa reply to account closure for fraudulent credit card use
Apr 2, 2019, 9:37 am
#47
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Programs: UA 1K 1MMer & LT UC (when flying UA); Hyatt Credit Cardist; HHonors Diamond; Marriott Gold via UA 1K
Posts: 6,956
My first thought when reading the post was "At least the OP admitted to fraud upfront. Now it won't take 25 pages of Flyertalkers coaxing the truth out little by little."
Apr 2, 2019, 9:39 am
#48
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: YYZ/MGA
Programs: AA 1MM Lifetime Gold, AA Platinum, WS Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 7,607
I don't think anyone knows the actual situation and the OP was anything but eloquent on what happened. Various cases which might be more accurate are posed but it's hard to understand how AA lost all this money and what the purpose of this so-called fraud would be.
Apr 2, 2019, 9:41 am
#49
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While I certainly cannot say if the OP's story is his own or not, I definitely -can- say it's a very credible story, doesn't strike me as uncredible in any way, this is a real thing.
Again, can't say if the OP is the one this actually happened to (no reason to assume not, so far, that I can see,) but as far if the story itself passed "the smell test" or whatever-- it definitely does.
Again, can't say if the OP is the one this actually happened to (no reason to assume not, so far, that I can see,) but as far if the story itself passed "the smell test" or whatever-- it definitely does.
Apr 2, 2019, 9:44 am
#50
Join Date: Jun 2011
Programs: United Premier Platinum
Posts: 638
It sounds like OP didn’t even have a valid card on which to put pending charges. This is a system vulnerability on AA’s part but that doesn’t make intentionally exploiting that vulnerability okay. If I leave my front door unlocked, that doesn’t mean people are allowed to burglarize me.
Apr 2, 2019, 10:03 am
#51
Join Date: Apr 2004
Programs: AA Plat/2MM, DL Silver, UA Silver (via Marr), Marr LTT, HH Gold (via cc), Hyatt Disc
Posts: 1,039
Reminds me of an old post in the Account Audit thread where poster was caught reserving, but not paying for F seats to ensure their upgrade cleared (or something along those lines). Even had a similar $ demand from AA.
Apr 2, 2019, 10:11 am
#52
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Life isn't that hard:
Step 1: Don't be a douche.
Step 2: See step 1.
Apr 2, 2019, 10:19 am
#53
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: YYZ/MGA
Programs: AA 1MM Lifetime Gold, AA Platinum, WS Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 7,607
Making duplicate reservations to use up space for someone already on the same flight will likely cause one or both to be cancelled so it's hard to understand how that works. Also back to the $68,000 amount, assuming they were all not F tickets last minute to Asia or South America it does make you wonder how useless AA is is allowing this to happen.
Apr 2, 2019, 10:21 am
#54
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Apr 2, 2019, 10:34 am
#55
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: YYZ/MGA
Programs: AA 1MM Lifetime Gold, AA Platinum, WS Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold
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So this guy is the co-conspirator? Using his real account and (OK admittedly, useless) credit card seems to cast a quick light on his shenanigans. Someone else benefited? Real person using his real account to block tickets for a fake person is not going to work. I agree Joe Schmo sets up an AA account and books F tickets to somehow make this fellow the beneficiary of the space but he's not said that at all.
I think we are short of facts and the OP has never come back to explain the situation better.
I think we are short of facts and the OP has never come back to explain the situation better.
Apr 2, 2019, 10:39 am
#56
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So this guy is the co-conspirator? Using his real account and (OK admittedly, useless) credit card seems to cast a quick light on his shenanigans. Someone else benefited? Real person using his real account to block tickets for a fake person is not going to work. I agree Joe Schmo sets up an AA account and books F tickets to somehow make this fellow the beneficiary of the space but he's not said that at all.
Slow down and read, please.
Apr 2, 2019, 10:47 am
#57
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,631
Buying something with an invalid credit card is certainly fraud; but how can a major corporation not have protections in place against such fraud? If I buy a one-of-a-kind item from Amazon and give a invalid credit card, they're not going to hold that item for me in the hope that I'll pay for it some day.
Apr 2, 2019, 11:02 am
#58
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 3,698
To the more general point: this seems to match a general problem of AA's systems being unable to do pretty basic things (in this case authorize a credit card? I build an online system to do that in 1999, so I'm quite confident this is not an unsolved computer science problem) and then blaming their customers when things go wrong.
But I also agree OP doesn't really have any recourse. Sounds like it would be better to fly on other airlines from now on.
Apr 2, 2019, 11:11 am
#59
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
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I really don't think the OP knew what he was getting into here when he posted his first thread as a new member about fraud.
I'm sure after reading our responses he won't be back.
I'm sure after reading our responses he won't be back.
Apr 2, 2019, 11:12 am
#60
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Long Beach, CA
Programs: AA PLTPRO, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,559
Seems hard to maintain a defense. If OP had a card he KNEW was cancelled, why leave it in his profile? Why go through the rigmarole of having to receiving the email from AA and then call in to book with an alternate card if not simply for the reason of holding the tickets for an extended period and/or to not ultimately ticket it?
What's more interesting is that OP feels the need to come here as a new poster and share his dirty laundry - as if we were going to support his ongoing ploy?
What's more interesting is that OP feels the need to come here as a new poster and share his dirty laundry - as if we were going to support his ongoing ploy?
