Queenie

A friend of mine has been working with an internet travel agent for several weeks.

After loads of emailing back & forth, she was able to hammer out a travel route, lodging and transportation through this organization.

The agent then asked for her credit card number, which she faxed.

The agent then emailed back they also needed her address, passport number and mothers maiden name.

I have never heard of an organization asking this information. Naturally, she balked at this. She did call her Visa card fraud department about it, but they could offer no explanation.

This sure sounds suspicious to me. Is this some new scam I am unaware of? Is this something other people have encountered when working with a travel company? I cannot imagine this is legitimate.

wealthy_backpacker

Is she working for the company or trying to buy something from them? You message lacks clarity. I presume it is the latter as one should not need to give one's credit card number to one's employer. No you do not need to provide your mother's maiden name when buying a ticket (domestic or international) or your passport number (unless this is mad additional security that the US has recently introduced?).

But you might need your mother's maiden name and/or passport number to access your telephonme banking or online banking!

DeirdreStraughan

Address and passport number are normal these days - they're running security checks before you get to the airport, which is a good thing as it saves you time once you get there. Mother's maiden name is a bit weird; you might check with the State Department about that.


best regards,
Deirdré Straughan

http://www.straughan.com

flanneruk

It may not be a scam: some countries require a passport number to get in - even places like Australia. Other countries need passport numbers for internal travel or hotel reservations.

I've had to provide precisely this information (including mother's maiden name) for Uzbekistan, for example

And lots of organisations invent pointless information needs just because they're harmless idiots (as any Brit who's struggled with a Web form demanding to know what State he lives in will testify).

OTOH, it's not clear why she should be fazed by a request for an address.

Your friend should challenge why they need this information before assuming it's a scam. And not, of course, provide it until she's satisfied.

wealthy_backpacker

You do not need the passport number for the booking, unless perhaps the agent is arranging the VISA for your friend. I have never been asked my mother's maiden name when buying something from a travel agent and I would not give it unless it was explained to me very clearly why this information is necessary.

jody

I've been asked by the airlines to provide my passport number everytime I've booked for the last few years.

The mother's maiden name thing though sounds very strange.

ira

Hi queenie,

At this pointthey have her CC no and, I assume, the expiration date. This is sufficient information to steal from her credit card.

If they haven't scammed her yet, I would follow the advice about asking why they need the additional info.

It might be totally legit; so that they can check to make sure that the person charging the trip is the the person who owns the credit card.

wealthy_backpacker

There should be a validation number to verify the user so that it is unecessary to ask for personal information such as this.

Sue_xx_yy

Mother's maiden name? That is frequently the security question used by CC issuers to verify that the person submitting the CC number is the owner of said CC number. NO! Vendors do NOT need this to submit an invoice to the CC issuer!!!

Perhaps the agent is simply ignorant of what is truly necessary or perhaps it is truly a scam but in either case I'd refuse, point blank, to give either the passport number or the mother's maiden name.

Melnq8

scam, scam, scam, scam....

It does sound a bit bizarre and personally, I'd run for the hills.

Or, you could ask said agent exactly why he/she requires this info and go from there.

Melnq8

It just occured to me that every time I book a hotel in the Middle East, I'm required to give my passport number to the travel agent making the hotel booking. Once I arrive, I then have to show my passport again. I'm not sure why it's required twice, but it is.

I've never, ever been asked for my mother's maiden name when making any travel arrangements anywhere in the world, so I find that really odd.

carrolldf

I guess I would also want to know something about the Internet Travel Agent. How did your friend find this particular agent? Were they recommended by others who had used them or did your friend find them through an internet search? Has your friend checked with BBB where ever the agent is actually located? Does your friend have a bricks & morter address and phone number for the agency?

I agree with asking why the agent wants this info. If it's an international flight, I don't have a problem with them asking for the passport # but if it's domestic, this would be a real red flag. I don't know about the mother's maiden name -- I've never been asked for it but my overseas travel has been limited to UK and France. I would have to know why they are asking for it before I gave it out...and if they said it was for a VISA, I would probably verify this info myself. But then, I probably wouldn't be using an agent to start with and your friend may be using an agent simply because she doesn't want to do it herself / doesn't have the time / doesn't have the inclination / etc. -- all things which would not give her the inclination to verify the actual requirements herself before providing the info.

sandi

For an International ticket the agent should always be certain you have a passport and ask for the number. As to the address, if not an e-ticket they have to have somewhere to sent the ticket, or to match the CC number with the home address of the cardholder.

Only the credit card company should ask for your "mother's maiden name" or over the past 4-5 years, the "last 4-digits" or your SS#, to verify that you are who you are. In this instance I would have contacted the CC company and advised that a charge for $XXXX.XX was to be processed by ABCTours.

No real scam here, just an agent that wasn't quite sure. But the CC company is always your backup.

JMM

No one but your bank or your credit card company should ask you for your mother's maiden name. This question would make me VERY suspicious.

Michael

I just booked a flight to Europe over the internet. Nothing more than the information required for domestic flights was requested (name, address, telephone, e-mail address and visa number). Nor do I expect to be asked for my passport number when I make reservations in Europe. I was not asked last year.

bettyk

The ONLY reason a TA should need your passport number and mother's maiden name is to prepare a visa.

Christina

The only thing that seems so unusual to me is the mother's maiden name, but I don't think Queenie ever came back to explain what this is about. For all we know, these folks aren't citizens and needs visas or lots of other things.

I've been asked my passport number every time I've made a flight reservation for quite a long time, I think, although I can't remember exactly how long (I mean for years). I've never been asked for a domestic flight, but since this is the Europe board, I'd guess this was a trip to Europe from elsewhere. Of course they are going to want someone's address, you have to have that for billing and lots of purposes. A lot of companies ask you for an address when you pay by phone or internet with a CC.

I don't think people need passport nos. to try to use a credit card illegally anyway, you don't need a passport no. for that. NOne of this sounds that weird to me, especially since if someone was working with an agent for weeks over routes, lodging, etc., I think you could tell something about the company.

Patty

I've never needed to give my passport number when booking a flight to or within Europe, but I always book directly with the airline not through an agent.

Queenie

I will give you a bit more information. This was for travel between Europe and Africa.

No visas were involved. My friend handled the visa and the intercontinental flights herself. The agent was only handling travel within the African continent, and the lodging.

I can tell you that I live in Europe (US passport) and have traveled twice to the US and twice to Africa in the past 6 months and have NEVER given out my passport number. The only time I have given a passport number to an agent was when I traveled to Moscow last year ? and I believe that was for the visa only, not the flight.

The mother?s maiden name has no legitimate explanation to me.

I will also tell you my friend has since called some of the lodges where she was booked and they do have a positive relationship with this particular agent.

Its just an uncomfortable feeling to be asked these types of things when ID theft is on the rise?

Thanks for all the replies.