jetBlueNYFL

Figured I would post this before a jetBlue basher does so and starts questioning why the "cheerleaders" never post negative news. The fact is that we post all kinds of news here.

Some people are so stupid - they really think they can get away with crime. I'm just wondering why the customers did not cancel their credit card to begin with...

www.wnbc.com
JetBlue Workers Accused Of Identity Theft

POSTED: 6:34 pm EDT May 1, 2007
UPDATED: 7:03 pm EDT May 1, 2007

NEW YORK -- Four JetBlue workers have been arrested and charged with stealing passengers' credit cards and allegedly using them for gift cards, alcohol and shopping sprees at stores like Target and Bloomingdale's.

Investigators with the Port Authority Inspector General's office said the suspects carried out their scam over three years, often using credit cards and debit cards of passengers who accidentally left them on the counter as they rushed to make their flight. The ring also allegedly enlisted the help of a New York City Corrections officer.

Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said the JetBlue workers charged about $500 per store. Their stops included liquor stores, Victoria's Secret, H&M, Champs Sports, grocery stores and restaurants, the district attorney said.

Morgenthau said passengers left their cards with the JetBlue employees, who ironically were working as customer service agents.

"Instead of providing assistance, these agents ripped off passengers," Morgenthau said.

Among those charged were Alex Yegoryan, a JetBlue customer service agent, along with co-workers Georgia Malamis and Ricky Santana. Flight attendant Monique Robles and Jacqueline Miranda, a New York City corrections officer, were also arrested.

"They took a number of passengers for a different kind of ride," said Port Authority Inspector General Robert Van Etten.

The suspects were set to be arraigned late Tuesday on the identity theft-related counts, some of which carry up to seven years in prison.

JetBlueFA

Totally unacceptable behaviour for any airline personel! Especially us sincewe pride ourselves on customer service. I personally hope they get the book thrown at them. Totally unacceptable. How could a person not think they are going to get caught using stolen CCs?

nsx

This reminds me of the story of the agent in Australia who looked for pax with no FF information and filled in numbers from one his many phony accounts. He stole millions of miles from his employer but was finally caught.

iahphx

This is a truly tragic incident for JetBlue. They are in for another public relations nightmare. It is despicable employee conduct -- literally stealing from their passengers -- at an airline that is supposed to be different.

I must say I'm surprised. Sure, one bad apple. But this was a theft RING. How the heck did that happen?

Neeleman will get another taste of crisis management.

Jerseyguy

Please so 4 employees out of how many employees stole credit card info. It could have happened at any airline. These people could have accidently dropped their card in the terminal and found some con artist pick it up and use it.

If this had happened on Continental your attitude would be alot different.

iahphx

No, it would be a huge embarrassment for CO, or any airline.

The industry has had several baggage theft rings and, perhaps most commonly, South American drug smuggling operations. There's also been ocassional theft of credit card numbers from a rez center. But this is the first time I've heard of frontline employees stealing from their customers.

Remember, JetBlue is SUPPOSED to be different. That's the standard you've set for yourself -- like the poster above who tags his message "bring humanity back to air travel." Well, if that's the standard you set for yourself, that's the standard you'll be judged by. Expect another media circus.

craz

Sorry but dead Wrong on this one.

theres Absolutely nothing that could be done to have stopped this. I dont Blame JB or David for this at all. Nor would I hold JB accountable on this. The only way they could have stopped it is if they will give All Employees a Lie-detector exam every week.

there were numerous accounts of employees at Saks, Bloomys etc passing a customers CC thru not only the Stores machine but their own as well so as to get all the info off the card.

it would be 1 thing if JB had a system where by say a passenger had to leave a CC with them till they returned on their return flight. But to hold JB accountable when a Few of their employees are Thieves is Wrong.

j3823x

Are you sure they didn't cancel the cards?

I'm thinking the cards were usable between the time the customer last used the card (at the B6 counter to pay for excess luggage or a change fee?) and when they noticed it was missing. That time gap was probably at least a few hours later since many (most?) of them were travelling.

jetBlueNYFL

True...I guess some people are just careless. Mistakes happen and the fact that jetBlue employees took advantage of those mistakes in a crimeful way is terrible. They deserve some good jail time to think about what they did.

jetBlueNYFL

Are you serious?

So the countless stories I hear about five-star hotel staff stealing from guests' rooms can be tossed out the window because a few bad people at jetBlue stole some credit cards?

Wow...get real. What the jetBlue employees (who I'm sure are fired by now, thankfully) did was TERRIBLE and nothing warrants that. But to blame the airline or management for their actions? Incredible.

iahphx

Yes, management is ultimately responsible for this fiasco. The crime apparently went on for 3 years at the JFK ticket counter. Amazing, considering how stupid the employees were ("now let's see, I left my card at the JetBlue ticket counter and now there are all these unauthorized charges -- who could have used it."). To say management isn't uktimately responsible for hiring these clowns or stopping this crime is what strikes me as incredible. Because other hospitality employees have stolen from their guests (maids at a hotel, etc), doesn't mean that it's "just business" to have a ring of airline employees ripping folks off at the ticket counter. There really isn't any precedent for this and, because they are JetBlue, they will be judged by the supposed "humanity" of their company. These are frontline airline service personnel, and I can't recall a single incident of such employees stealing from their customers.

TWA Fan 1

This is one of the most absurd statements I have read in a long time, and this forum is filled with plenty of absurd statements.

iahphx

Wow. I used to defend airlines for various misdeeds of their employees, and I sure could have used you on the jury!

New York City Flyer

This is particularly unfortunate as this is a company that so many hard working employees take a tremendous pride in. An event like this is very embarrassing, uncharacteristic of the majority of the dedicated people who are committed to the customers, and serves to tarnish the reputation they’ve worked so hard to maintain. A story about the moral majority at jetBlue working hard to build a great customer-focused airline simply doesn’t sell newspapers, a story about an isolated small group of morally corrupt people who never deserved to work for the airline is what the public enjoys reading.

TWA Fan 1

I am not defending anyone. The actions of the employees were totally despicable. All I was saying is that it is not reasonable to blame management for the actions of a few bad apples, especially actions that were obviously carried out furtively.

Once the investigation began jetBlue cooperated fully with the authorities.

What else could they have done?