An Ontario woman who was travelling back to Toronto after visiting Vancouver is sharing her story after she fell victim to a social media scam, costing her $3,000. Traci Healy of Fonthill, Ont., a city near Niagara Falls, visited British Columbia in March of this year. While she said she had a great trip and enjoyed spending her time on the West Coast, returning back wasn’t a smooth-sailing experience. It was in April, when Healy was on her way back to Toronto and missed her first connecting flight from Victoria to Vancouver airport. Despite making it on time for the second connecting flight from Vancouver airport, she was denied boarding. “I was not happy, I was really upset” Healy said and added “So I’m sitting at the airport panicking because I needed to get back home to Toronto and I had to work the next day.” Healy decided to vent her frustration by contacting WestJet through social media. “I log onto Facebook and find the WestJet customer service Facebook group and I said I can’t believe this happened,” Healy said. She recounted that almost immediately after posting her complaint in the comments section on WestJet’s official page, she received messages from people claiming to be WestJet employees wanting to help. Healy told CTV News individuals impersonating customer service agents requested to add her as a friend on Facebook and sent her private messages claiming they could get her a refund. “We want to make this right for you we are going to give you a refund and pay for your flight home,” Healy said, recounting what the individuals told her. Healy was asked for her credit card and banking information so they could give her a $3,000 refund, but instead, money was taken out of her account. “So I got scammed $3,000 from someone claiming to be a WestJet customer service representative in Kenya,” said Healy. CTV News reached out to WestJet on Healy’s behalf, and a spokesperson said in a statement, “The security of our guests is our top priority. WestJet will never request payment or sensitive personal information through unofficial channels such as unsolicited WhatsApp messages or calls or non-verified social media accounts.” “If guests are unsure if they are being contacted by a verified WestJet representative, we encourage guests to visit our website: Travel advisories | WestJet official site and contact us directly.” Cybersecurity experts recommend avoiding posting content online and not interacting with companies through social media platforms. “Criminals will monitor the comments sections of recognizable brands,” said Claudiu Popa, cybersecurity expert and founder of KnowledgeFlow Cybersafety Foundation. Popa also suggests if you are dealing with companies online, it’s important to only deal with them through regular channels. “What they really need to say is reach out to us through our published phone number, and we will help you. Nothing else should be trusted,” Popa added. As for Healy, she told CTV News she should’ve noticed some red flags, but at the time she was frazzled and frustrated being stuck in an airport. “I can’t believe I fell for this. He caught me at a moment when I was prime for the picking,” Healy added. With files from CTV News’ Farah Chandani
