Description

I looked online for a number to call the TSA regarding questions about my overseas flight on Delta Airlines. A man who gave his name as Mike Ross said he could help me get a better rate on my ticket. He claimed I had been scammed and advised me to report the $409 extra charge, saying he would cancel the original ticket. That confused me, since I thought I had reached the TSA.

I’m 77 years old and have always made airline reservations for my husband and me before he passed. So I asked who I was speaking with. He identified himself as Delta Airlines. This added to my confusion, and I assumed each airline might have a TSA representative. It wasn’t until I saw the charges on my credit card—one for the Delta Airlines ticket and another for $1,000 from “Travel Service 8009144 Carbon”—that I realized something was very wrong.

I became very concerned and looked for a valid number for Delta Airlines using their app. My original ticket had been booked through a website that claimed to be Delta, but I later learned it wasn’t. I hadn’t realized I could contact Delta through their app—I thought it was only for browsing flights. I eventually found the correct 800 number to speak with Delta, listed at the bottom of the app's options. Delta has been wonderful, as has my credit card company. Delta refunded several charges, but not the $855 charged by Mike Ross.

I later found out that Ross had canceled my original ticket, claiming it was for medical reasons—which was not true—and used an email address that wasn’t mine. So I never knew he had lied to the airline as well as to me. A very kind Delta supervisor issued me a new ticket with a reservation number. I used a different credit card for the purchase because I was afraid Mike Ross might interfere again.

Afterward, I received a call from the company Ross works for. I told them my ticket had been canceled, and not by me. The call came from 800-969-1418. They also used 800-577-3920. After I hung up, they called me back. This time, a very rude woman spoke to me and immediately told me not to speak until she was done. I told her no, demanded my money back, and warned her not to call me again or I would report her to the police. As I hung up, she yelled that I would not be getting any of my money back.

I went back to the email they sent and found a cancellation option. I submitted a request for a refund. I still don’t know how I ended up speaking with Mike Ross, as I had dialed what I believed was a TSA number. I later went to the Better Business Bureau website to check for any reports and was shocked to see that almost the exact same thing had happened to another woman. Like me, she believed she was calling TSA but ended up speaking with someone pretending to be her airline, who then scammed her.

I have no complaints against Delta—they have been extremely helpful. But there’s still confusion surrounding the "medical" reason given for the canceled ticket. I hope and expect this to be resolved soon. The stress this has caused has been overwhelming. I have a heart condition and limited mobility. I can’t wait for this nightmare to be over. From now on, I’ll only book airline tickets through official apps so I know I’m dealing with the real company.