Global crackdown on airline ticket fraud leads to 79 arrests

Friday, 29 Nov, 2019 0

A cross-border crackdown on airline ticket fraud has nabbed 79 suspects.

A joint operation by law enforcement in 60 countries alongside six airlines and 12 online travel agencies was carried out at more than 200 airports.

Led by Europol, it detected 165 suspicious transactions between November 18-22.

The agency says most were related to illegal immigration or people traveling with fake IDs.

"This operation was the culmination of many months of meticulous planning between Europol, law enforcement, judiciary, and border agencies, airlines and credit card companies, and is a perfect example of how our combined forces can make distinctive contribution in the fight against these criminal syndicates," said Wil van Gemert, Europol’s deputy executive director of operations.

Most of the transactions used stolen, compromised or fake credit card details.

Europol says airline ticket fraud costs the industry nearly $1 billion a year.

Although it is also prevalent across the travel booking ecosystem, ‘airline companies are among the most affected by CNP fraud,’ Europol said.

below social share icons

TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

STA was established to support the growth of the travel and tourism sector by serving the needs of tourism companies...

The Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games is responsible for planning, organising, financing and delivering the...

Family-owned Olympic Holidays has been arranging holidays to Greece, the Greek islands and Cyprus for more than half century. The company is unrivalled...

Intrepid Travel is a world leader in sustainable experience-rich travel that has been taking travellers to discover the world’s most amazing places...

Atout France guides and supports the French regions with their development strategy and helps set up investment projects in order...

Traveltek is the world-leading provider of online solutions for the travel trade, from consumer-facing websites to call centre applications. We...

IHG Hotels & Resorts: Redefining Hospitality Excellence IHG Hotels & Resorts is a globally renowned hospitality company that stands at...

Air Transat is Canada’s number one leisure airline. It flies to some 60 international destinations in more than 25 countries...

Consisting of the three Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island as well as Newfoundland and...

ITB Asia, Asia’s Leading Travel Trade Show, is an annually held B2B trade show and convention for the travel industry; it is designed...

ECOMMPAY is an international payment service provider and direct bank card acquirer, engineering bespoke payment solutions for clients worldwide. Our...

In 2019, Buffalo Tours and Olympus Tours joined the Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) family and formed Discova. With the...

We work with reliable data providers with global coverage, that guarantee data representativeness as well as compliance with International Personal...

Hilton is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 22 world-class brands comprising nearly 7,300 properties and more than 1.1 million rooms, in...

If you’re thinking of cruising, there’s a very good chance you’re considering a Carnival cruise. Growing since our founding in...

Centara Hotels & Resorts is Thailand’s leading hotel operator. Its 93 properties span all major Thai destinations plus the Maldives,...

Arival advances the business of creating amazing in-destination experiences. We provide events, insights, and community for creators and sellers of...