Recently, a person claiming to be a baggage claim manager at Delta Airlines posted on Reddit, warning travelers of a new type of scam that is “increasingly rampant”.
The manager wrote, “I just want to remind everyone, do not discard your luggage tags until you get home,” as there has been a significant increase in fraudulent lost item claims. Scammers use discarded luggage tags to file claims with airlines, “these people observe in the claim area who is tearing off their luggage tags, pick them up, and use your information to submit claims.”
The manager explained that based on their firsthand experience handling such cases, this has caused trouble for those who are legitimately filing reimbursement claims.
He wrote, “Please be careful, do not remove luggage tags at the airport, they (scammers) can steal enough information from them to profit using your itinerary.”
This Reddit post has attracted over 2000 comments, with some even suggesting, “don’t leave these things in hotel rooms, there have been cases of scams using luggage tags found in hotels.”
This article refers to a report from the New York Post.