Thomas Crooks: Fraudsters target refund process for collapsed airline
People trying to claim refunds on flights and hotels booked with collapsed holiday giant Thomas Cook have been warned about possible fraudsters trying to get hold of their details.
Britain’s aviation regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said this afternoon it had been forced to take “urgent action” against fraudulent activity in relation to the massive refund operation it is running.
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The organisation warned customers to only make claims directly through the official dedicated website.
Suspicions have arisen of criminals setting up fraudulent versions of the CAA’s own refund site.
The CAA was subsequently forced to embark on the biggest ever peacetime repatriation of British citizens, which wound up yesterday.
At the same time, it kicked off the refund operation for trying to claim cash back from the collapsed airline and holiday booking company.
In a statement, it said: “This morning we have taken urgent action in response to what we believe is attempted fraudulent activity in relation to refunds for Thomas Cook customers.
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“We are informing the police of this activity and are implementing further verification checks to protect customers.
“Where we see evidence of fraud, we will seek to prosecute any individuals or organisations involved.”