Phishing Scam Targets Cruisers with Future Sailings on the Books
by Dori Saltzman
Photo: Celestyal
At least two cruise lines are warning guests with future cruises on the books to watch out for phishing emails from scammers trying to get them to provide their credit card information.
“We are aware that some guests have received fraudulent emails claiming to be from Celestyal,” a spokesperson for the cruise line said. “We are treating this matter extremely seriously and are working urgently with our technology teams, relevant service providers and external specialists to investigate. We can confirm that at no time was sensitive information breached.”
Norwegian Cruise Line, too, is warning guests of a similar scam.
“We are investigating reports of fraudulent emails claiming to be from Norwegian Cruise Line. We advise guests not to click links, respond to these emails, or provide personal or payment information,” the line has posted on its website.
In the emails sent to guests (this author’s father received such an email), the “cruise line” requests a variety of information for “verification” purposes including booking number, address, and credit card info. When looking closely, however, the email address is not the official cruise line email.
“Guests and travel partners have been contacted to advise them to remain vigilant, and to remind them that Celestyal will never ask for booking verification or payment card details through an unsolicited email link,” the Celestyal spokesperson said.
