LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Scammers are targeting Louisville area travelers who were trying to fly during last week's major technology outage that impacted several airlines and businesses across the country.
Businesses and governments worldwide experienced hours-long disruptions earlier this month as a widespread technology outage affected services across industries. Flights were grounded and numerous hospitals, small businesses and government offices were disrupted.
At the heart of the massive disruption is CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm that provides software to scores of companies worldwide. The company says the problem occurred when it deployed a faulty update to computers running Microsoft Windows, noting that the issue behind the outage was not a security incident or cyberattack.
Scammers saw an opportunity after the disruption.
"It was awful. I didn't want to fly to begin with," Ed Nedell, a La Grange man who flew last week. "I've never seen disarray like I saw there."
Nedell was stuck at Dallas Love Field the day after the initial outage. He was visiting his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson.
"I got to the gate and I sat down over my lunch and as soon as my lunch came, I got a text saying they canceled my flight," Nedell said. "I figured okay this is going to be a while so went and rented a car and drove back."
Ed Nedell dealt with spam messages after returning to his home in La Grange, Ky.Â
He made it back to Oldham County after spending $623 on a rental car and one motel. He shared his hardships in the comments of Delta's Facebook page.
"Within minutes, I started to get messages, instant messages, from people saying that they're Delta customer service - please provide your name, your ticket number and your phone number," Nedell said.
Nedell received six scams in the span of two hours.
"I couldn't believe it. Well, I could, because I know what the world is like today," Nedell said. "How can people fall for that, you know? But I worry about my parents."
The spam messages included requests for personal messages with booking details or asking to submit a claim through a questionable link.
"They are obviously a scam just the way they were phrased," Nedell said. "It was broken English."
Another message asked for his full name, a ticket number and his email.
"It's sad, you just can't trust people anymore," Nedell said.
Cybersecurity expert Greg Schaffer shared a few tips on how to protect yourself at home and in the workplace. Schaffer said people shouldn't enter flight or resume information into ChatGPT, be aware of typos in Facebook messenger messages and avoid clicking unexpected links.
Nedell is grateful he noticed the red flags before responding.
"You just got to always be aware, just be alert," Nedell said.
Nedell is still waiting to find out if he will received a refund for his troubles.
The technical failure was restored.
CrowdStrike Founder and CEO George Kurtz apologized to everyone impacted.
Related Stories:
- Louisville businesses, airlines feeling the effects of the Microsoft tech outage
- Internet outage latest | Airlines, businesses hit by global technology disruption
- Widespread technology outage disrupts flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world
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