Travel warning news: Holidaymakers flying with major airlines including Wizz Air, Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2 and British Airways warned over serious scam

An urgent travel warning has been issued to all holidaymakers flying with major airlines including Wizz Air, Ryanair, British Airways, easyJet and Jet2. The consumer watchdog Which? has sounded the alarm after exposing a scam involving fake accounts for the major airlines.

The fake accounts mimic official carriers to trick people into divulging personal information. The organisation warns that when using social media to report an issue passengers are most vulnerable, as scammers swoop in to respond to the query or complaint, leading customers to unwittingly engage with fraudulent accounts, reports Bristol Live.

In an experiment, a Which? investigator reached out to the legitimate Wizz Air account on X, formerly Twitter, @wizzair, only to be almost immediately approached by two fake profiles. They stated: "Both used near-identical language, apologising for the inconvenience, stating that they had 'already escalated this matter to the relevant department' and requesting a 'reachable WhatsApp number for assistance' via DM [direct message]."

Which? found fraudulent profiles pretending to be every major UK airline on X, noting that reporting these fake accounts has only a 'limited effect'. EasyJet as per Which?'s account continues to expose hoax profiles, whereas Jet2 is reportedly aware of unverified accounts and keeps reminding its customers to stay cautious and report any uncertain activities.

Wizz Air confirmed it's witnessing an increase in counterfeited accounts on X while TUI said it is “regularly monitoring for any accounts impersonating Tui on social media and report accordingly for the online safety of our customers.” British Airways, Ryanair and Virgin Atlantic did not offer comments when approached by Which?.

A spokesperson from X told the BBC: "On X, you may not misappropriate the identity of individuals, groups, or organisations or use a fake identity to deceive others. Accounts that pose as another person, group, or organisation in a confusing or deceptive manner may be permanently suspended under X's misleading and deceptive identities policy."