How it works
- You receive an unsolicited call, text, or email claiming an airline owes you compensation for a past flight
- The scammer asks for personal details, banking information, or an upfront "processing fee" to release the supposed payout
- Some variants impersonate the CAA, an airline, or a well-known claims company, using official-looking branding
- No genuine compensation is ever paid — the goal is to harvest personal and financial details or extract the upfront fee
Red flags
- Unsolicited contact about a flight you cannot immediately confirm was actually delayed
- A request for an upfront fee before any compensation is paid
- A request for full card details, online banking login, or National Insurance number
- Pressure to act immediately or the "offer" will expire
- Poor spelling, generic greetings ("Dear Customer"), or a sender address that does not match the organisation claimed
How to protect yourself
- Remember that you can claim UK261 compensation yourself for free, directly with the airline — see our free claim letter templates
- Never pay an upfront fee for a compensation claim — legitimate claims companies (if you choose to use one) take a percentage only from money actually recovered
- Never share your online banking login, PIN, or full card number in response to unsolicited contact
- Verify any claim by contacting the airline or the CAA directly using contact details from their official website, not from the message you received
If it happens to you
- Do not respond further, click links, or share any information
- Report the contact to Action Fraud (actionfraud.police.uk)
- If you already shared card or banking details, contact your bank immediately
Report to: Civil Aviation Authority