Scammers are taking advantage of a series of crippling strikes across Germany’s aviation sector to target hundreds of thousands of stranded passengers who have been taking to social media sites like X (formerly Twitter) in a desperate bid to get help from airlines.
The situation has become so bad that German flag carrier Lufthansa has issued an urgent warning on its official and verified X account, cautioning passengers not to fall victim to some of the recent fake accounts targeting vulnerable customers.
Lufthansa has been forced to cancel up to 90% of its daily schedule on both Thursday and Friday as ground employees stage their longest walkout yet in a dispute over pay and conditions.
The Verdi United Services Union has called on all Lufthansa ground workers, from baggage handlers and engineers to gate agents and customer service staff, to take part in the two-day ‘warning strike’ as it demands pay rises of 12.5% or at least €500 extra per month.
Workers started their protest at 8 pm on Wednesday and they won’t return until 7:10 am on Saturday. Lufthansa has warned that it will only be able to operate around 10% to 20% of its usual schedule during the strike.
To make matters worse, however, Verdi has also called airport security officers at Frankfurt am Main Airport on strike on Thursday, which means that the airport is unable to accept any passengers originating in Frankfurt because all of the security checkpoints will be shuttered.
During several previous strikes by Lufthansa ground staff and security agents, the airline has been able to offer some passengers alternative travel arrangements on Germany’s railway network, but a nationwide strike by train drivers at Deutsche Bahn means that isn’t a feasible option this time around.
Scammers have been quick to take advantage of the mass disruption, sending out messages to disrupted passengers who mention airline accounts like Lufthansa or Eurowings in their posts.
Desperate to get information or support, some passengers are falling victim to fake accounts that use variations of the airline name or purport to be customer service agents using fake names.
The latest scam works by trying to take vulnerable passengers off X and onto messaging services like WhatsApp, where they are then encouraged to send personal information and even bank account information.
Lufthansa is encouraging passengers to only seek assistance via its official website and avoid contacting the airline via social media channels.
“Please watch out for fake accounts that appear to be Lufthansa or Lufthansa staff, claiming to be able to assist you,” the airline cautioned in a recent post. “Always check that the reply is from one of the official Lufthansa accounts and be advised that we do not offer assistance via WhatsApp despite the claim of fake user profiles,” the warning continued.
On Thursday, the Lufthansa Group reported its third-best financial result in its history, with an operating profit of €2.7 billion in 2023. Lufthansa says demand remains healthy, but the airline warned that continuing strike action would weigh down profitability for 2024.
