FlySafair has issued a warning to consumers to be vigilant when booking flights ahead of Black Friday, as scammers are taking advantage of the scramble to find holiday travel deals.
The air carrier explained that criminals are using increasingly sophisticated methods to exploit consumers who are trying to make the most of the promotional savings.
According to the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC), online scams and cyberattacks have become a major problem.
Over 100,000 cyberattacks were recorded on banking accounts in 2024, stealing an estimated R1.8 billion from individuals.
This is an 86% increase from 2023, showing how rapidly criminals have adopted online methods of scamming victims.
FlySafair’s Chief Marketing Officer, Kirby Gordon, noted that Black Friday creates the perfect environment for scams to thrive.
“Time pressure, irresistible discounts, and high transaction volumes make consumers more susceptible to fraud. Criminals know this and use it to their advantage,” he said.
Fraud specialists have confirmed this, stating that major annual shopping events lead to a spike in scams.
The fear of missing out (FOMO) pressure of timed deals mean that consumers are in a rush to secure deals as quickly as possible and are less likely to scrutinize an offer before they finalize a purchase.
Compounding this issue is the fact that many people will use new websites that they aren’t familiar with in order to purchase a particular good or service, which makes it easier for criminals to create fake links that may look like the real thing to the untrained eye.
FlySafair warned that this issue has gotten worse over the last year, as criminals are using new technologies to lend credibility to their scams.
AI-generated deepfake videos, emails meant to impersonate well-known brands or public figures, and edited or AI-generated voice notes are a relatively new issue that many consumers now have to deal with.
Illegitimate websites that are almost indistinguishable from the genuine article are widespread, and fraudsters are now using malicious QR codes and SMS-based scams (known as “smishing” scams), are all designed to get unsuspecting individuals to share their personal information.
In the case of flights, FlySafair said that the most common scam is advertising discounts that are too good to be true.
Criminals will often use social media pages that copy the airline’s official channels, and promote deals for things like unlimited flights under R100.
“If an offer feels unrealistic, pause before you click,” said Gordon.
He said customers should always confirm deals via FlySafair’s official website, flysafair.co.za.
On Facebook and X (Twitter), the company uses the verified handle @FlySafair, which has a blue verification checkbox.
On Instagram, it uses the name @flysafairza, which is also verified.
What to watch out for
FlySafair also warned about the surge of phishing scams individuals will encounter this Black Friday, as companies will all be sending out promotional texts, notifications, and emails.
This makes it much harder to spot when a message is fraudulent, especially since scammers can now send convincing courier alerts, account verification requests, and QR codes.
Gordon’s advice is to always check the sender and make sure the URL is spelt exactly as flysafair.co.za.
Even a slight variation in the URL is a red flag that it is not the real deal.
One tactic targeting air travellers is a method to try to obtain a person’s Passenger Name Record (PNR), which is the code that grants access to a customer’s booking.
Fraudsters will try to send messages pretending to be from FlySafair, saying it needs the PNR to “confirm” the flight or “process” the payment.
Gordon emphatically stated that the company will never attempt to collect a customer’s PNR through unsolicited messages.
If a person receives one of these messages, they should contact the airline immediately through one of its official channels.
Social media is more problematic, as fake ads and unverified influencers regularly show up in peoples’ feeds to direct them to counterfeit booking sites.
The single most important piece of advice in these scenarios is not to rush, as criminals rely on FOMO for people to overlook the tell-tale signs of a scam.
Any official promotions or competitions will be communicated via FlySafair’s official channels.
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