Airline Fraud is on the rise

Fraud is rapidly increasing in the travel industry and airlines are highly exposed due to the nature of transactions involved. Fraud hits airlines from numerous sources, and at every point along the booking process, and flight journey. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that payment fraud costs the airlines industry about $858 million per year, of which $639 million is borne by airlines. Fighting fraud in the airline industry is a top priority for organisations across the world. With the availability of modern fraud detection technology, airlines now stand a fighting chance against their savvy opponents. 

Customers can be deeply affected by airline fraud as they lose time and money sorting out the effects of fraud. Not to mention the emotional trauma it causes them if they are left stranded at an airport unable to board a flight or make it to an important occasion or meeting on the other end of their journey. Most importantly, airline fraud is a key concern for international security organizations like Interpol, and Europol, and national security agencies of countries across the world. Unlike any other industry, the airline industry spans the entire world, and bonds countries like no other platform can. This being the case, fraudulent tickets obtained by criminals are used to commit the most serious crimes like terrorism, illegal immigration, human trafficking, and drug dealing. 
Computer weekly has given 5 tips for passengers on how to avoid airline fraud: 

• Where possible pay for travel using your own credit card. 
• Make sure the company you are buying your tickets from is legitimate. The IATA logo is one indicator of this.
•  Avoid buying tickets from classified websites which sell other things, such as cars and holiday homes. 
• When buying an airline journey from a travel company, you can check if the flight exists by checking the airline’s own website and remember that if the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• If you become a victim of online ticket fraud, keep all the evidence and report it.

If you or your company has been affected by airline fraud, Manchester shredding could be of service to you. Our hard drive and paper shredding processes always occur on site to ensure there is total security compliance as well as to give you complete peace of mind. 

Source: Ravelin 14th February 2017
https://www.ravelin.com
https://www.iata.org
https://www.computerweekly.com

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