The Frontier refund email has your real confirmation number. It's still a scam

The tell most of us were taught to look for is that a scam email gets the details wrong. This one doesn't. Frontier Airlines passengers have been receiving messages that quote their actual confirmation number, their flight and their name, and some of them believed it enough to type in their card details. Frontier has now posted a warning on its website saying it is "aware of an active email phishing campaign targeting our customers."

There are two versions doing the rounds. One offers a refund: a ticketing error supposedly charged you taxes and fees twice, and "because the settlement batch for this reservation has already closed," you need to confirm the card you paid with. The other goes the opposite way and says your upcoming trip hasn't been paid for. Both lead to a look-alike payment page. Frontier's answer is short: it "does not email customers requesting flight, reservation, payment, or contact detail information."

Where the scammers got the booking details is the open question. Frontier disclosed an incident involving its customer care form database on 2 October, and a researcher has separately shown that a booking code and surname can unlock a full reservation, but nobody has tied either to this campaign. A spokesperson says the airline is "conducting a thorough assessment of the matter with external experts." The practical lesson travels well beyond Frontier: a correct booking reference proves only that someone has your booking reference. Check a trip by typing the airline's address yourself or opening its app. If you've already entered a card, call your bank, and include any card the fake page rejected, since forms can capture what you type before you press submit.

If you used your Frontier password anywhere else, change it there too. Tendvane's Privacy & accounts check is a quick way to spot which of your accounts still rely on a single password.