Is myflightmart a scam?

11/9/2018 10:54:00 AM

Do not use that site.

It is most likely a scam to collect credit card information.

If you already booked there, you should:

  • Check with your bank and see what transactions have been made.
  • Check with the airline and see if a booking has actually been made in your name.

And if any of that does not check out: Block your credit cards immediately, and get in touch with law enforcement.

Explanation

Unfortunately, there is no surefire way to detect fake sites. While missing privacy policy, encryption and such can indicate a fake site, the presence of those elements does not guarantee a site is legit.

But even without much technical knowledge, you can do some sanity checks.

With this particular site:

  • You already noticed the general “pushyness”, as discussed above
  • Agents cannot “hold down” prices by themselves
  • They try really hard to get you into phone or chat.
    • This makes no sense for a “normal” site. Having you talk to an agent costs more than an automated web transaction, so there is no reason why they should give you discount there.
    • It makes sense for a scam site, as you can extract additional information from people, such as answers to security questions
  • As said: No encryption enforced on the site.
    • Note that the only way to see encryption is to look for the padlock in the browser bar. Information on the site itself has no value whatsoever.
  • Strange search results.
    • Air Canada always came first for my searches, and it seems that results are in alphabetical order by airline name.
    • Prices, strangely, follow the same order.
    • This means nonsensical results show up first (London to Paris via Chicago?)
    • Some plausible routes don’t get results at all
  • Credit card details are submitted to their own servers, and not to a card processor.
    • It is unlikely that any normal operation would want to do that.
    • They can be submitted without encryption, which would violate even the most basic security precautions.
  • Worst: I was able to make a “booking” with a randomly generated CC number and other random data. That would be impossible if they actually made an online transaction with the card network.

How to find reputable sites

  • Use the ones you already know, or that are widely known (Expedia, booking.com)
  • Check prices directly with the Airline
  • Use a reputable price search (e.g. Google flights, kayak or skyscanner). If they send you to a booking agent, that site should be legit (though not necessarily nice, watch out for hidden fees)
  • Use a travel agent that you know – which can save money for more complex setups
  • If you’re on the edge, use a payment method that doesn’t reveal your information to the merchant (e.g. PayPal or Apple Pay)

If you find offers that are too good to be true – they probably are.

Credit:stackoverflow.com‘

About me

Hello,My name is Aparna Patel,I’m a Travel Blogger and Photographer who travel the world full-time with my hubby.I like to share my travel experience.

Search Posts

Latest posts

Popular posts