Scammers recently changed the phone numbers that appear in Google search results for several major airlines, redirecting some customers to call a number where the person who answers would try to steal their money.
Shmuli Evers, a Brooklyn-based software designer, noticed this Sunday when his Delta flight out of John F. Kennedy International Airport was cancelled. The in-person line for customer service was long, so he Googled the airline’s phone number to reschedule his flight, he said in a thread that went viral On twitter. Other Twitter users chimed in with similar experiences.
Instead of reaching a Delta employee, Evers said he spoke to a man with a thick accent who hung up and called him back from a different number. That man then asked for the payment to book a rescheduled flight. Evers recognized it as a scam and canceled his trip.
It then went on to document six other airlines, including American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Air France, that had incorrect numbers provided by Google.
Those airlines did not respond to emails requesting comment. Since then, the search results for each of the airlines, including Delta, have been corrected. It is not clear how the numbers were changed or who changed them.
The number change scam comes as people in the US have faced widespread delays and cancellations at airports across the country, thanks in part to severe weather and staff shortages.
Internet scams and crimes have become increasingly common and costly. The annual report from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center found that victims last year reported a record $10.3 billion in online losses.
A Google spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the company “does not tolerate this deceptive activity.”
“Our teams have already begun reversing the inaccuracies, suspending the malicious accounts involved and applying additional protections to prevent further abuse,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesman declined to answer questions about how long the problem persisted, how many airlines were successfully spoofed, or why there weren’t better protections for major carriers like airlines.
Google has had trouble countering scammers who have learned how to get fake contact information to appear when users search for a business on Google Search or Maps.
Those results come from Google’s internal database for businesses, called Business Profiles. Google typically verifies someone’s claim to business ownership through a mailed postcard, phone call, or video chat. Last month, Google sued a man and his companies for allegedly offering paid verification services to take over search results from companies, which it says were popular with scammers.
A Delta spokesman said the company was investigating the incident.
“Any time we become aware of a suspected scam targeting our customers, even in this situation, we promptly conduct an investigation,” the spokesperson said, adding that Delta advises customers to visit Delta’s website to verify that they are calling the correct number.
Evers told NBC he was frustrated by Google’s response that he almost got scammed, but was glad it was getting attention.
“I am happy that there is more awareness about this problem to solve it,” he said.
