Scammers will impersonate just about anyone to steal your money or take your personal ID. Some scammers have found the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) and its PreCheck program. TSA PreCheck is intended to let ticketed airline passengers pass through TSA checkpoints faster and easier while maintaining the security of airline flights.
To enroll in TSA PreCheck all you have to do is to Apply Online for
the program, then visit a local enrollment location to give your fingerprints, documentation,
have your picture taken, and pay for enrollment. When get your TSA PreCheck/Known
Traveller Number, then add it to your airline reservations. With that you can go
through security using the TSA Precheck Line. For more information about TSA
PreCheck go to https://www.tsa.gov/precheck.
Scammers have tried to insert themselves by sending an email impersonating
the TSA to PreCheck travellers reminding them to renew their subscription. TSA
PreCheck is only good for a few years and needs to be renewed from time to
time. And from here you probably can guess the drill. The email has you click a
link that it provides. The link takes you to a bogus website that looks like
the real TSA PreCheck web site. You are given the “opportunity” to pay online,
and the scammer has your money, your personal information, and your credit card
account number. You will not find that your membership renewal is no good until
you arrive at the airport for your next flight.
Please note, if you are applying for PreCheck for the first time,
you cannot pay online, you pay in person at an Enrollment Center. If you are
renewing PreCheck you can renew and pay in person at an Enrollment Center or renew
and pay online.
Remember, to avoid this scam,
·
DO
NOT click on links in unexpected emails or text messages, no matter how real
they look!
·
Don’t
be rushed. If someone insists that you pay right away, it’s probably a scam.
·
To enroll,
or to renew TSA PreCheck only go to https://www.tsa.gov/precheck.
Any other URL is a fake website for TSA PreCheck.
If you spot this scam, or have been victimized by this scam, tell
the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/.
Federal Trade Commission:
https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2024/10/how-avoid-tsa-precheck-scams
WWBT, Richmond, VA:
WMUR, Manchester, NH:
https://www.wmur.com/article/tsa-precheck-scam-warning-holiday-travelers/62831136
Transportation Security Agency:
No comments:
Post a Comment