CHARLOTTE — A warning if you’re hitting social media for help on flights - there’s a new scam popping up.
Officials say fake accounts are pretending to be airlines and tricking travelers to get private information.
A reporter with the Wall Street Journal tested this by tweeting, asking Southwest Airlines for help with a few flight changes.
“I wanted to see you know, how prevalent these you know, fake airlines, these imposter accounts work,” Wall Street Journal reporter, Dawn Gilbertson said.
The official Southwest account responded right away but minutes later, a fake one responded too.
The scam account asked for a direct message but if you were to send one, it could lead to identity theft.
“They can easily mess with your reservation. They could cancel it. They could change it,” Gilbertson said. “On the financial front, the risk is that airlines you know that these imposters could ask for money for things that airlines don’t charge for .”
The biggest tip to avoid this is to reach out to the airline carrying your flight directly without using social media.
If you do choose to use social media, like Twitter, make sure the account you message has a yellow check mark showing the account is verified.
If the account isn’t verified, don’t trust it.
(WATCH BELOW: Officers urge Queen City residents to do their research amid rising online scams)
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