{"id":844644,"date":"2025-11-26T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=844644"},"modified":"2025-11-26T15:55:24","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T13:55:24","slug":"flysafair-fraud-warning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/finance\/844644\/flysafair-fraud-warning\/","title":{"rendered":"FlySafair fraud warning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

FlySafair is urging South Africans to stay alert ahead of Black Friday, warning that scammers are taking full advantage of the rush for holiday travel deals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The airline warned that criminals are using increasingly sophisticated methods to trick shoppers caught up in the excitement of bargain hunting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent figures from the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC) show just how serious the problem has become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 100,000 cyberattacks were recorded on banking accounts in 2024, costing individuals around R1.8 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a 86% jump from the previous year, and a sign of how aggressively criminals are targeting digital consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to FlySafair\u2019s Chief Marketing Officer, Kirby Gordon, Black Friday creates the perfect conditions for this kind of activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTime pressure, irresistible discounts, and high transaction volumes make consumers more susceptible to fraud. Criminals know this and use it to their advantage,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fraud specialists have long noted that major shopping events cause an annual spike in scams, as people scramble to secure deals or jump onto unfamiliar online platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FlySafair warned that this year\u2019s tactics are more advanced than before, with criminals leaning heavily on new technologies to appear credible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many are now using AI-generated deepfake videos, doctored voice notes, and realistic emails to impersonate well-known brands and public figures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fake websites that look almost identical to legitimate platforms are also widespread, and fraudsters are increasingly using malicious QR codes and SMS-based scams, or smishing, to lure people into sharing personal information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FlySafair said one of the easiest ways scammers trick people is by dangling discounts that simply cannot be real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criminals create social media pages mimicking the airline and promote deals like unlimited flights for under R100, hoping to harvest both personal details and payment information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf an offer feels unrealistic, pause before you click,\u201d Gordon cautioned. He said customers should always confirm deals via FlySafair\u2019s official website, flysafair.co.za<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively, they can check on its verified social media accounts\u2014@FlySafair on Facebook and X, and @flysafairza on Instagram\u2014each of which displays a blue verification checkmark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be vigilant<\/h2>\n\n\n
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FlySafair\u2019s Chief Marketing Officer, Kirby Gordon<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The airline is also warning about the rapid evolution of phishing scams. Because Black Friday brings a surge of promotional emails, texts, and notifications, fake messages are harder to spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scammers now send convincing courier alerts, account verification requests, and QR codes that lead to fraudulent websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FlySafair\u2019s rule of thumb is simple: always check the sender and make sure the URL is spelt exactly as flysafair.co.za. Even the slightest variation is a red flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the more dangerous techniques involves trying to obtain a Passenger Name Record, or PNR\u2014the code that grants access to a customer\u2019s booking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scammers often send messages pretending to be from FlySafair, saying the PNR is needed to \u201cconfirm\u201d a flight or \u201cprocess\u201d a refund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gordon stressed that this will never happen. \u201cWe will never request your PNR through unsolicited messages,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyone who receives such a request should immediately contact FlySafair directly using official channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social media remains a major risk area. As more consumers shop directly through Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms, fraudsters have moved with them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fake ads and unverified influencers regularly advertise unbelievable deals that redirect people to counterfeit booking sites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FlySafair said customers should avoid clicking on any social media link unless it comes from a verified account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help travellers stay safe, the airline has urged customers to take some basic precautions before booking flights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Always verify that you are on the official FlySafair website, look for blue checkmarks on social media accounts, and take a moment to question any deal that seems too good to be true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Never share your PNR in response to an unsolicited request, and only enter payment details on secure, encrypted sites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most importantly, don\u2019t rush\u2014scammers rely on urgency to catch people off guard. And if you come across anything suspicious, report it immediately so others don\u2019t fall victim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FlySafair said all legitimate promotions, competitions, and communications can be verified through its website or by contacting the airline\u2019s customer service through the official channels listed on the website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FlySafair has warned South Africans to stay alert as scammers are taking full advantage of the rush for holiday travel deals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":798381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11121],"tags":[10020,853],"class_list":["post-844644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance","tag-flysafair","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/844644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=844644"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/844644\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":844667,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/844644\/revisions\/844667"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/798381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=844644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=844644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=844644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}