Air France warns customers of Black Friday scam
Free tickets for Air France flights might sound too good to be true - and they are, as the company warns people about a Black Friday scam that is circulating.
Air France is warning customers of a scam circulating on WhatsApp. The scam invites the recipient to enter into a contest in order to win free airline tickets as part of a Black Friday deal. The airline issued a tweet assuring customers that this is a scam and they should not open click on the link.
Air France also included a sample image of the scam in their tweet.
Chers clients, beaucoup d'entre vous nous ont signalé un site frauduleux vous invitant à participer à un faux jeu concours sur différentes plateformes, notamment WhatsApp. Air France n'en est pas à l'origine et vous invite à la vigilance. pic.twitter.com/JFBhWFp9s4
— Air France FR (@AirFranceFR) November 7, 2022
The company is warning customers to remain vigilant, particularly during the Black Friday sales period.
Specifically, the scam consists of a WhatsApp message, where users are encouraged to click a link and then answer a few questions in order to win free return fair tickets, good for travel within Europe.
READ MORE: Warning: 6 of the most common scams in France to watch out for
According to French news site, La Dépêche du Midi, once the quiz is taken, the participant is told they won and that in order to get their tickets, they must share the scam message with either five other groups or with twenty friends by entering their personal data.
The objective of the spam is to collect personal data from WhatsApp users.
While this is considered a "phishing scam" - meaning its intent is to steal personal data, other spams that are sent via SMS and internet enabled messaging services seek to extract money directly.
READ MORE: What you can do in France to stop fraudulent and spam phone calls and texts
If the message was sent via SMS, you can forward it to the official Spam SMS service on 33700, and they will follow up on your behalf.
If you think you may have fallen victim to a scam, particularly if you have shared your banking information, the first step is to contact your bank. You can learn more about what to do in this scenario, HERE.
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Air France is warning customers of a scam circulating on WhatsApp. The scam invites the recipient to enter into a contest in order to win free airline tickets as part of a Black Friday deal. The airline issued a tweet assuring customers that this is a scam and they should not open click on the link.
Air France also included a sample image of the scam in their tweet.
Chers clients, beaucoup d'entre vous nous ont signalé un site frauduleux vous invitant à participer à un faux jeu concours sur différentes plateformes, notamment WhatsApp. Air France n'en est pas à l'origine et vous invite à la vigilance. pic.twitter.com/JFBhWFp9s4
— Air France FR (@AirFranceFR) November 7, 2022
The company is warning customers to remain vigilant, particularly during the Black Friday sales period.
Specifically, the scam consists of a WhatsApp message, where users are encouraged to click a link and then answer a few questions in order to win free return fair tickets, good for travel within Europe.
READ MORE: Warning: 6 of the most common scams in France to watch out for
According to French news site, La Dépêche du Midi, once the quiz is taken, the participant is told they won and that in order to get their tickets, they must share the scam message with either five other groups or with twenty friends by entering their personal data.
The objective of the spam is to collect personal data from WhatsApp users.
While this is considered a "phishing scam" - meaning its intent is to steal personal data, other spams that are sent via SMS and internet enabled messaging services seek to extract money directly.
READ MORE: What you can do in France to stop fraudulent and spam phone calls and texts
If the message was sent via SMS, you can forward it to the official Spam SMS service on 33700, and they will follow up on your behalf.
If you think you may have fallen victim to a scam, particularly if you have shared your banking information, the first step is to contact your bank. You can learn more about what to do in this scenario, HERE.
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