Always double check cause you never know if something might be real or fake and the internet is full of fake websites that may look legit.
But it’s not everyday you’d see fake websites of big companies. Malindo Air has brought to their customer’s and public’s attention that a fake website has been identified selling the airline’s tickets illegally. The announcement was made via the airline’s social media channels on Twitter and Facebook.
“flymalindoairways.com” is th URL for the fake website and it is found selling tickets through a suspicious payment gateway known as “OnePAY”. Malindo Air states that its system has not registered the payment gateway and that all purchases made are not captured in the airline’s database.
The fake site itself may appear legitimate, especially to those who’ve never visited Malindo’s actual website or are unfamiliar with the airline.
The fact that the scammers behind the website took the extra mile and created various approaches to make the website appear believable; including a COVID-19 awareness prompt, providing a customer service email address, and flight schedules.
The only way to spot that this was a fake website is that the logo is completely different from the original Malindo logo.
That’s not all they did. Apparently, the scammers also created a mobile app that links to the website’s ‘services.’ Now that is dedication. But for anyone to download it, users will need to provide your mobile number first in order to get the download ‘link.’ Please don’t give away your phone number to download this app if you were planning on trolling the scammers.
In addition to the warning, Malindo advised their customers that all ticket bookings are only made through the official website of the airline at www.malindoair.com and through registered online travel agencies ( OTAs). In response, Malindo Air says it filed an official report against the fake website with MyCert and a police report is also ongoing.
So next time you’re planning your next trip, be sure to check you’re on the right website. Wouldn’t want your bank account empty in the next hour.
