BBB Teams up with Expedia Group to Warn Consumers, July 19

BBB release – EUGENE, OR – JULY 17, 2019 A network of scammers is using Expedia Group’s name to take consumers for thousands of dollars. Better Business Bureau serving the Northwest and Pacific has received several reports in just the past several days from consumers who’ve lost as much as $3,700. Expedia is a BBB Accredited Business with an A+ rating. In a statement, the Bellevue, Washington-based company said, “We are happy to team up with the BBB to educate people about this scam and share tips on how they can protect themselves.” The scam begins when consumers search online, then call customer service numbers purporting to be Expedia. Customers ask the representative to confirm or change existing reservations they’ve made through the Expedia travel site. But instead of legitimate Expedia reps, they are calling phone numbers used by impostors. The impostors say their refund site isn’t working properly and the consumer needs to purchase gift cards in order to receive a refund or change bookings. Consumers reporting this scam hail from 17 different states and Canada, and, together, report losing nearly $10,000.  One woman told BBB that the scammer kept telling her to, “purchase (additional) gift cards saying that he had to merge the cards together,” but not to worry as she, “was going to be well reimbursed.” Several customers say the fake customer service rep stayed with them on their cell phones while they purchased the gift cards.