Verify before purchasing third-party airline tickets | Business

You are all packed and ready to go. You get to the airport to board the plane and your flight is either canceled or delayed. Instead of standing in line to change your flight plans, you do a quick search on the internet for the airline customer service and locate a phone number and you click to call.

The representative who answers claims to be with the affiliated airline and after explaining the change in travel plans, asks for personal and payment information. Once confirming the changes, an agreement of re-booking fees that are twice what the original airline ticket cost is sent over for signature. Still thinking you are dealing with the airline, the document is signed, the fee is paid and the transaction goes through.

After hanging up, you find another phone number that connects directly to the airline, so you call to…