Elderly Indian couple lost £2,500 to fake Heathrow ticket scam: ‘I don’t know how the scammers got our phone numbers’

An elderly Indian couple from Leicester, UK, lost more than £2,500 after falling victim to a sophisticated online ticket fraud, police said. According to PTI, the couple realized they had been scammed when they tried to check in at London Heathrow Airport.Dinesh Jansari (80) and his wife Shashikala (78) booked what they thought were legitimate round-trip tickets to Ahmedabad, India, through what they believed to be a genuine travel agency. They had planned a two-month trip to India, but their plans were scuppered when airline staff told them the tickets were fake.The Jansaris moved to Leicester from Uganda more than 50 years ago and had previously traveled abroad through a travel agency. They had been planning this return trip for eight years and decided to look online for cheaper deals this time. During the booking process, someone claiming to represent a well-known travel company contacted them via WhatsApp. The scammers used the name “Fly Expedia” to make the couple believe they were dealing with a trustworthy service.“It was a really good deal, it was called Expedia, and my husband had heard of it,” Shashikala said. She added: “I don’t know how [the scammer] Got his number but he started chatting on WhatsApp and my husband booked with them. “The couple had arranged a coach trip to the airport individually but it was canceled at short notice so their son drove them from Leicester to Heathrow. When checking in, airline staff could not find the booking information and confirmed the ticket was fake. “I just thought, what am I going to do?” Shashikara said.After booking through a legitimate travel agency, Jansari finally managed to take off a week later. They reported the fraud to the police and bank but were told the money was unlikely to be recovered.The experience has led the couple to warn others, especially older travelers, about the dangers of online booking fraud. They emphasized the importance of verifying the website and contact before making payment.Nicola McIntyre, head of fraud at Leicestershire Police, added that online fraud now accounts for half of reported crimes in England and Wales. She urged people to check with trusted family and friends before transferring money and to verify any online bookings through official channels.