The logo and name of Austria's largest airport, Vienna-Schwechat, is again being misused by fraudsters to “sell” non-existent services via Facebook and other social networks. Flughafen Wien AG has nothing to do with this and expressly warns against accepting these dubious offers.

Fraudsters are currently targeting travelers looking for cheap suitcases. It is common knowledge that, year after year, there are many pieces of luggage “stranded” at pretty much every airport that are never picked up and no owner can be identified. The simplest reason is usually that the “day” has passed and no one reports, so the suitcase then sits in the depository waiting for better times.

Travelers in Austria have one year to make any claims through their airline or, if they have been found or identified, to have their suitcases delivered or, alternatively, picked up at the airport. But for a variety of reasons, this doesn't work more often than you'd think. After this period, the suitcases will be auctioned off for the highest bid, with the proceeds then being donated to social causes. These suitcase auctions are quite popular because you get a real mystery box, because no one knows whether it only contains dirty laundry or even valuable items such as laptops and the like. For most participants it's just about having fun and the knowledge that the money offered is being donated to a good cause is good for many people's souls.

The FWAG logo and name are being misused

It is precisely this feeling that fraudsters use to “catch customers” on Facebook and other social media. They advertise with postings and advertisements that go to fake websites that use the Flughafen Wien AG logo and claim that the warehouse is full and space needs to be made. You could buy a suitcase for just 1,95 euros and who knows, there might even be expensive iPads etc. in it.

Flughafen Wien AG expressly warns against fraudsters on its company website. Austria's largest airport has nothing to do with the dubious and fraudulent offers. Rather, you are a victim of identity theft yourself, because both the name and the logo are misused without your consent.

What the fraudsters are really after: With the “bargain feeling” they want to get credit and debit card data. You will never get a suitcase, but you can expect that if you fall into the trap and don't have your card blocked immediately, it will be charged to the limit in distant countries, usually Nigeria, and any subscriptions will be paid for with it . The banks' security systems react quickly, but the fraudsters are also learning and using increasingly perfidious ways to outsmart the anti-fraud systems.

The bank and, if necessary, the police should definitely be contacted

If you have fallen for the fraudulent offers, you should immediately contact the card-issuing bank and discuss how to proceed. In most cases, the payment card is replaced and a chargeback of the unlawful charges can be requested. In many cases, the banks insist that you also go to the nearest police station to file a criminal complaint against unknown persons.

How can you protect yourself from this? Simply ignore dubious offers on Facebook etc., no matter how tempting they sound. If you are interested in paid services from the real Flughafen Wien AG, you should only book them on the official homepage. In some cases, they could also provide local travel agencies, which can be an alternative for passengers who don't feel completely comfortable on the Internet. Already knew? You can also book a few services in person (in the old school way) at the airport information desk or directly at the lounge reception and pay there in the classic way (but because of the necessary preparations).