Delta Air Lines computers were >>>NOT<<< hacked last week - Here are ways you can tell e-mails are FAKE!

A reader sent me an alert asking me if Delta had been hacked last week. I responded that I doubt it and that he should “hover” over the e-mail link but NOT click it. This is harder to do with nearly everyone using phones and tablets nowadays as with a desktop computer moving the pointer over a link will show the “true” link not the one that appears on the screen (a very simple trick crooks use to get you to click i.e. show a false link on top of a fake one). The reader indicated they did not click and that was that.

Apparently enough of these went out for Delta to post a warning on Delta.com in the “advisories” sub tab that is used for serious news alerts and waivers like the current winter one. Notice in part what the warning says:

“Some messages may claim that you have purchased a Delta ticket, a credit card has been charged, order has been completed, an invoice/receipt is attached to an e-mail or website may offer free flights for following or liking an account. If you see or receive one of these messages, do not open attachments as they may contain potentially dangerous viruses or harm your computer.

Be assured that Delta did not send these messages, and our customers’ credit cards have not been charged by Delta as a result of the e-mail’s. These messages did not originate from Delta, nor do we believe that any personal information that you provided us was used.” – Delta.com

So if Delta computers were not hacked how did so many get these e-mail’s? This is not hard to guess at either as Delta is one of the biggest airlines in the world. Just sending out e-mails in mass will likely find any number of the population who has over the past year or so been on a Delta flight. Or, YOU may be to blame for clicking on something in the past you should not have. The point is there has been NO Delta data breach and they state that none of these are from Delta Air Lines.

But how can you tell? Take a quick look at the screenshot of the e-mail from the reader at the top of this post. There are two things that SCREAM at me right away that this is bogus and totally fake. The first one is a pet peeve of anyone who flies Delta and one so many get wrong but Delta itself never would. Do you see it?

We fly Delta Air Lines  >NOT<  Delta Airlines.

If you ever see the latter you know it is fake. The next one is also just crystal clear to anyone who on a regular basis flies Delta. I have no clue what flight WA037740 is but that sure is not any kind of Delta or Skyteam designation.

If you look at any of the real e-mails from Delta you know what our flight numbers look like. Now I understand this would not stand out as much to someone who only flies Delta maybe once a year so this can maybe fool those who are not used to seeing Delta numbers.

The point is that we should  NEVER  click on stuff like this even when it looks real. The above is a real e-mail from Delta about a ticket I canceled (an award) and I got the SkyMiles back but never the taxes and fees paid. They have now fixed that but notice even in the e-mail they say NOT to respond to their official e-mail.

So if you ever get something and are concerned the right way to check if it is real is simply to do the following.

1) As shown above see if it clearly is fake and just dump it
2) Go into your “My Delta” and check your receipts
3) If you need to, contact Delta via official channels

Lastly, as Delta warns you, if you made the mistake of clicking on anything your information may now be compromised. Time to at least change passwords but also consider anything else you have in your “My Delta” that also could have been accessed.

Did you get one of these types of fake phishing e-mail’s last week? – René