CheapFlights Daily Scam? $2000 withdrawal attempt

[BJohnsonPP]

I don't want to cause any alarm if it's unnecessary but I checked my bank account today and found 4 pending transactions totaling $8. 3 $1 transactions from BA Internet Sales (British Airways) and a $5 transaction from SYCAMORE 6 LLC (also airline related).

None of these transactions were authorized by me and the only airline related activity I was involved in was clicking on the cheap flights daily offer. I called my bank and they've stopped the transactions but they told me that there was also an attempt to withdraw $2000+ from my account as well 

I clicked through the offer as usual and entered no personal/financial information. I don't know if it's the offer, the partner sites, or something strictly related to my computer but I wanted to give everyone a heads up just in case. Check your bank accounts!

I'm scrubbing my PC clean now. Hopefully this is just on my end and there's nothing shady going on with this offer.

[debidoo]

  wow I am sorry that happened to you.  Thanks for the heads up.  I check my bank information regularly because I spend down to the last cent but I hope that doesn't happen.  I get so tired of spam and scam.  Well, hope everything works out for you. 

[Administrator]

Sounds like malware.

[mrsbluesmith]

Try McAfee - it's the best!  Sorry that happened to you.  I've neaver had problems with Cheapflights before. 

[moomabean]

wow, thanks for letting us know. Hopefully all will be fixed at your bank and you get all those charges taken off. I will be careful on what i'm clicking.

[reiddb]

WOW~scary! I did that offer and received the money...I don't think I ever placed any banking info. on here, I just get checks....should that affect me?

[cwortman544]

I don't want to cause any alarm if it's unnecessary but I checked my bank account today and found 4 pending transactions totaling $8. 3 $1 transactions from BA Internet Sales (British Airways) and a $5 transaction from SYCAMORE 6 LLC (also airline related).

None of these transactions were authorized by me and the only airline related activity I was involved in was clicking on the cheap flights daily offer. I called my bank and they've stopped the transactions but they told me that there was also an attempt to withdraw $2000+ from my account as well 

I clicked through the offer as usual and entered no personal/financial information. I don't know if it's the offer, the partner sites, or something strictly related to my computer but I wanted to give everyone a heads up just in case. Check your bank accounts!

I'm scrubbing my PC clean now. Hopefully this is just on my end and there's nothing shady going on with this offer.

It's malware not the offer.  There's no way the offer would cause something like that to happen but stuff like this could happen to any single one of us just from visiting websites because of malware floating around.  Just be glad you caught it.  Internet can be a dangerous place.

[davidh121]

That is disturbing and I'm sorry to hear this. I periodically worry of situations similar to this when I participate in "earning money" type of sites so I tend to clear my cookies and history, especially right after I go to my online personal accounts. I never venture into these accounts while on a same session with earning sites.

[cneimsn]

Wow, that's sad to hear, I'll be checking my accounts more often in the future, thanks.

[kaitsilva]

Yeah there's no way that could have happened solely through the CheapFlights offer because you're not entering your bank information anywhere in there.

It sounds like a much tougher issue like your debit card info being stolen, which could have first occurred either online or off. Many hackers buy airline tickets from others' accounts. You bank can easily fix it all and refund you the money.

[mjoseph1]

thanks for this heads up, that's scary but id theft and malware etc are no joke

[devilroljin]

I agree with the fact that it's got everything to do with "other stuff", rather than the offer itself. A website or parter site, or embedded advertising for that matter, open in one Browser Tab, has absolutely no control over another website (Tab) in the same browser, and even more so, in a different browser, specially if it is a secure socket layer banking session. In order to access any information, like login info, the website should have to first exploit some browser vulnerability to drop or install some key-logging software to your PC without first being intercepted by your AV. Therefore, it is highly unlikely, if not impossible that this will happen to anyone, by means of clicking the offer and clicking some partner sites. Other than that, just follow common sense, have some kind of reputable AV running real time shields and monitoring online activity, and you're good to go.

[cneimsn]

Does anyone out there know what happened to the 'cheapflights offer"?  I can't seem to find it today. Its usually in my bookmarked place, but its gone now!  Does anyone know if they removed it or not??

[Cubboo]

Yep tried to take it out my account I sued em

[ptfunds]

Good heads up and sounds like your got lots of information to help your isolate the incident and identify what probably happened.  I, too, am cautious about going to sites that may have "malware" lurking in the corners. It does not sound like you entered any CC information at CheapFlights so the only logical connection would be malware.  Thanks for warning us all and giving the opportunity for other members to make great suggestions!