QuickCheck: Are bots impersonating airline employees on social media?

HAVING problems with flight tickets or airlines is frustrating, especially when it comes to one's holidays – and when these incidents happen, it has become more of a norm than not to vent about it on social media.

Recently, it has been claimed online that bots linked to scammers are trawling through social media to seek out these posts and then pose as an airline employee to offer a fake refund.

Is this true?

VERDICT:

TRUE

This is in fact true, and Bank Negara Malaysia has issued a warning about this in a recent post on its official Facebook account.

“Using airline tags with keywords like 'refund', 'flight' or 'cancelled' in your social media posts may attract scam bots which pretend to process your refund via WhatsApp,” said Bank Negara.

“Scams in the form of phone calls, refunds, commissions, or charitable donations can empty your pockets. Arm yourself with knowledge with these latest schemes and stay ahead of the fraudsters,” it added.

Bank Negara then said that those who have been hit by such a scam should call their bank or the National Scam Resource Centre immediately at 977