Police launch global airline fraud crackdown
Police from around the world have joined forces to fight the trade in fraudulent air tickets.
The two-day crackdown resulted in the arrest of 118 people for alleged involvement in the use of stolen credit cards to book flights.
Police, co-ordinated by Europol, tracked 281 suspicious transactions over the operation, which resulted in raids at 80 airports in 45 countries.
The crackdown marks the start of an initiative called Global Airport Action, which will build on the links forged between police forces, airlines and credit card companies in preparation for the raids, the BBC reports.
The report said: "These links helped to spot when tickets bought with stolen cards were being used to check in at an airport during the two days of the action. Police officers then swooped on the individuals using the tickets.
"Command centres in The Hague, Singapore and Bogota helped to direct the checking of tickets and travel documents as well as identifying individuals arrested."
Airlines lose more than $1bn (£640m) a year to the trade in fraudulent tickets, said Europol.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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