{"id":2390,"date":"2026-06-26T07:03:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T07:03:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2390"},"modified":"2026-06-26T07:03:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T07:03:11","slug":"phoenix-woman-scammed-by-american-airlines-imposter-after-flight-cancellation-heres-what-you-should-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2390","title":{"rendered":"Phoenix woman scammed by American Airlines imposter after flight cancellation, here’s what you should know"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PHOENIX \u2014 A Phoenix woman spent months trying to get a refund after her American Airlines flight was canceled \u2014 only to discover she had been scammed by someone impersonating the airline.<\/p>\n

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Cher, from Phoenix, came to the “On the Road with Let ABC15 Know” event in Glendale earlier this month seeking help with her consumer problem.<\/p>\n

“I’ve had an issue getting a refund from American Airlines. So, last September my flight was canceled and I called and got rebooked. I wanted to go to Santa Fe, and I could only be rebooked to Albuquerque and so they charged me $1,010 for that rebooking and then they said that it was going to be repaid very very soon,” Cher explained.<\/p>\n

Cher said she never received her money back. After repeatedly following up, she says she was eventually told she would need to pay the airline more money to receive her refund.<\/p>\n

“You’re gonna have to pay us $1,010 and we’re gonna give you $2,020 and we’re gonna give you a one-way ticket. We’re gonna give you\u2026 the other perk was like $260 because it’s taken so long to get the refund and so I never heard back from them since January,” Cher said.<\/p>\n

If that doesn\u2019t sound right to you, it\u2019s because it\u2019s not. You should never have to pay money to receive a refund.<\/p>\n

When Cher’s flight was canceled, she searched online for the phone number for American Airlines. But the number she called was not the airline \u2014 it was someone pretending to be American Airlines.<\/p>\n

“I wanna get my $2,020 back,” Cher said.<\/p>\n

Cher says she sent all her communications to American Airlines, and the company determined she had been in contact with an imposter. She is now working to dispute the charges with her bank.<\/p>\n

Always go directly to a company\u2019s official website for contact information. Do not click on the first search result that appears.<\/b><\/p>\n

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What should happen when an airline cancels your flight<\/b><\/p>\n

Regardless of whether a cancellation is caused by weather or staffing issues, federal law entitles passengers to a full refund when an airline cancels a flight. <\/p>\n

Airlines cannot force passengers to accept a voucher or credit in place of a refund.<\/p>\n

Airlines must issue refunds within 7 days for credit card purchases and within 20 days for payments made by check or cash.<\/p>\n

If that window passes without a refund being issued, passengers should:<\/p>\n