TORONTO — In a curious case of what appears to be online fraud, a Nova Scotia man has finally received a refund from Air Canada following a months-long ordeal involving a cancelled ticket and a phantom call centre.

As reported by CBC News, Jeff Richardson, of Stellarton, N.S., booked a non-refundable flight to Texas on Oct. 22, 2023, directly through the Air Canada website. But when he had trouble selecting a seat, he searched online for the airline’s phone number and called one beginning with 1-833. The person who answered claimed to be an Air Canada representative.

Believing he was speaking with the airline, Richardson provided his booking and credit card information to finalize his seat selection. But shortly afterward, he noticed a $200+ charge from a company called “AirReservation” – not affiliated with Air Canada. He then received a notification that his ticket had been cancelled.

When Richardson contacted Air Canada, he was told the flight had been cancelled online, and no refund could be issued under the fare rules of the ticket. After seven months of back and forth, Air Canada this week confirmed it would reimburse Richardson and honour the original fare price.

“Based on these findings, we will reimburse this customer and ensure he pays the original price quoted for a replacement ticket,” the airline said in a statement to CBC News. “This could serve as a cautionary tale that people should be careful to make sure they know who they are dealing with in online or telephone transactions and only use certified and official sources of information.”

Richardson believes he may have visited a spoofed website – a fake page designed to look like a legitimate one – where the incorrect number appeared. He eventually booked a second flight and made it to Texas in November for a work conference. He said he’ll be extra cautious in future, double-checking that contact information and websites are authentic before providing sensitive information.

To read the original article on CBC News, click here.