with 82 incidents in the August-November period.
Year to date through November, ARC reported 113 such incidents—with ticket
value of more than $1 million—compared with 18 recorded in 2010. ARC blamed the
increase on an "
upsurge in phishing emails" that appear to be from
global distribution systems or other trusted industry sources that "entice
the reader to obtain additional information or reports by clicking on a URL"
and logging in, thus "providing the fraudster with the necessary
credentials to access the genuine GDS website to book and issue unauthorized
airline tickets." ARC is working with travel agencies, GDSs, law
enforcement agencies and airlines "to educate agents on how to identify
these illegal emails and avoid navigating to fraudulent links," said ARC
operations integrity director Chuck Fischer.