Airline Scam Flies Into The Mailboxes Of Pittsburgh Residents
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Letters promising free airline tickets are flooding the mailboxes of Pittsburgh residents, but officials warn that it's probably a scam.
These letters are sent from a company called Travel Deals Xpress offering two free flights worth almost $1,300 on fictitious airline "US Airlines," which sounds similar to the real airline company US Airways.
Recipients are supposed to call a number listed on the letter to see if they've qualified for the free tickets.
Pittsburgh resident Greg Hollack said he received one of the letters.
"It stood out because it was hand-written and I guessed they must know me," Hollack said.
At first it looked innocuous, but after reading the letter, it was clear it wasn't a real offer he said.
"You hear about scams all the time and I figured they are trying to get me too," Hollack said.
In the letter, the company claims to have tried to contact the reader several times without success.
An examination of three different letters sent to local residents also show three different names listed as the company's vice president at the end of the note.
After a call by KDKA to the number on one of the letters, high-pressure sales people stated it was necessary to attend a presentation about the company to get the free tickets.
The Better Business Bureau said it's been receiving complaints about the letters too.
"What we are seeing and the complaints we are getting," Warren King with the Better Business Bureau said, "They are not receiving the incentives or they are paying additional fees for those incentives."
A call made to Travel Deals Xpress about its offer has not been returned.
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