United Airlines has confirmed that a call center employee transferred a passenger’s phone call to an external number without verification, which led to the passenger being connected to a scammer. The airline stated that the incident occurred in May and that an internal investigation has been launched.
The victim, identified as Dan Smoker, was due to travel from Denver to London. After his flight was canceled due to technical issues, he called United Airlines’ official customer service line the following day. However, after more than three hours on the phone, he ended up speaking with someone identifying himself as “David.” The individual told him that in order to book a new flight via Lufthansa, $17,000 would need to be charged to his credit card, assuring him that the amount would later be refunded. According to Smoker, the refund never happened.
Following public outrage, United Airlines released a statement saying: “The customer’s call was transferred to an external number, and the agent failed to use our internal tools to verify the number.”
While Smoker’s bank has launched an investigation into the fraudulent charge, United Airlines has assured the passenger that he will be compensated for his loss. A company representative added, “We will do everything we can to make this right.”
The incident has reignited debate within the airline industry over the importance of call center security and customer verification procedures.
