Don’t Trust Google For Phone Numbers

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There are many ways to contact an airline for customer service. You can message them, which is the preferred method for Delta Air Lines after they stopped using Twitter. For other airlines, you can contact them via email or even by using services like WhatsApp. But occasionally you come across a problem where you need to talk to another person to solve a problem.

Whether it is to make a complicated reservation, modify or cancel an existing booking,  request special assistance, report missing luggage, or make an award booking that you can’t do online, you’ll need to call the airline. For instance, I had to call Aeroplan to make a booking that I couldn’t do online.  Since I was already on the Air Canada website, it was easy for me to go to the Contact Us page and find the phone number.

But what if your flight was just canceled, you’re at the airport, and you don’t have the phone number handy? You’d Google it.

Before search engines got smart, the only results you’d get were the links to relevant web pages. Now, services tailor your results to provide the answer without needing to leave the results page.

For example, here’s the top result when I asked for the phone number for Delta.

But how do you know that is actually the phone number for Delta?

Recently, there have been more reports about individuals falling for fake phone numbers they discover online. These scammers inundate the internet with counterfeit numbers, hoping to obtain personal details such as credit card information. What’s alarming is that these fraudsters don’t need to persuade you that they are the authentic company. They only need to deceive the algorithm into thinking that they are the genuine article.

In July 2023, scammers were able to trick Google into showing incorrect phone numbers for several major airlines. While the search engine says they have fixed the issue, something similar will undoubtedly happen again.

This problem extends beyond US airlines as international carriers are also targeted.

I just received an email from Singapore Airlines warning of phony phone numbers and other phishing schemes.

Here are some tips to avoid being tricked by scammers.

• Fake phone numbers aren’t solely on search engines. Google Maps, Wiki pages, social media posts and community forums are all places where scammers will post phone numbers.
• If you need to contact an airline, only call phone numbers you find on the official website or app.
• Scammers can modify Caller ID to imitate the airline, so don’t trust a number because it says the airline name.
• Beware when revealing personal data to an unverified source. If you question why a company would need the info, they probably don’t need it.

If you need to call an airline, make sure you go to the official website. I was able to find a phone number for Delta Air Lines on Delta.com.

In this case, the number from Google was correct, but they’re also on high alert after the problems from July.

When I used the Delta app, I received a different phone number, which was for SkyMiles members only.

Final Thought

This is another reminder not to trust everything you see on the internet. If you want to protect yourself from scammers with fake phone numbers, you can add the customer service numbers for the airlines you travel with into your address book. That way you won’t have to look them up when you’re in panic mode. It also makes sense to keep those airline apps updated before traveling.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary