An American man fell victim to a serious travel scam, losing thousands of dollars after receiving a fake phone call claiming his United Airlines flight was canceled and that he needed to rebook immediately. Dan Smucker was informed his flight from Denver to London Heathrow, part of an 18-day family vacation in Europe, was canceled. He called the official United Airlines customer service number listed on the company’s website, initially spoke with an agent who put him on hold, then was transferred to someone named David. David told Smucker he couldn’t modify the current booking but could rebook a Lufthansa flight to London via Newark, provided he paid $17,328 upfront with a promise of reimbursement due to the original flight cancellation. In urgency to save his family vacation plans, Smucker paid through a link David sent, believing it was official.

Later, he discovered the confirmation message was not from United and the charge appeared on his bank statement under “AIRLINEFARE,” not United Airlines. United confirmed the last charge on his card was $17 three years ago and the large amount was not in their records. Investigation revealed the original agent searched for Lufthansa’s phone number online instead of using internal systems, resulting in the call being transferred to a fraudulent number. The incident raised questions about customer service agent training and company policies on rebooking, especially with code-share partners. United is working with American Express, Smucker’s card issuer, to resolve the dispute but has not committed to refunding the amount directly.

Smucker expressed frustration, saying, “I trusted the system, and there was no reason not to, but I was defrauded through it.” Travel fraud is among the most common scams in the U.S., with the Federal Trade Commission reporting over 100,000 complaints in 2024 alone and financial losses exceeding $1.1 billion. Scammers typically target passengers booking flights online or via apps, exploiting anxiety caused by delays or cancellations, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic increased cancellations by 40% in 2020.