BA travellers targeted in Twitter baggage swindle

Criminals have been trying to scam British Airways passengers who try to contact the airline on Twitter to raise issues of concern.

- SIMON CALDER

One customer who fell victim to the fraud but has apparently yet to realise it pleaded: "Can someone call me and explain why I had to pay for a luggage that the airline did not send to its destination?"

Some passengers frustrated by lost luggage and delayed refunds have been tweeting BA about their issues, using the official account @British_Airways.

Fraudsters set up an unofficial scam account, "@CareBritish", and responded to tweets from travellers.

The Independent was alerted by a reader who said: "I'm trying to get in touch with British Airways on Twitter. I have been contacted by @CareBritish asking me for contact details.

"It feels fake: do you know if it's genuine?"

Investigation showed this to be a malicious scam carried out using a Twitter account that has now been suspended.

The method employed by the criminals was to respond to tweets from anxious travellers.