SANFORD, Fla. — A Central Florida woman said she missed her husband’s own funeral because of a scam.
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She was set to fly out of Orlando-Sanford International Airport to Wisconsin earlier this month.
Investigative reporter Ashlyn Webb looked into the scam was and learned the airline initially fell for the scammers too.
Joanne Stainer, 79, remembers the 59 great years she had with her husband Joe.
“Joe had the most wonderful personality. Always had a joke,” Stainer said.
He died this past March. This month, the family planned to lay him to rest in their family cemetery in Wisconsin.
Stainer, her son and grandson were all set to fly from Orlando-Sanford International Airport to Appleton on June 1. But a medical emergency kept Stainer from catching that flight.
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She instead had to book a last-minute ticket to Wisconsin by herself, flying out the night before her husband’s funeral.
Stainer admits she’s not the most tech savvy, so she called 411 to direct her to Allegiant Airlines to book that flight.
Stainer says she spoke to a man who said he worked for Allegiant. She explained she needed a plane ticket to fly to her husband’s funeral, and “he says, I can take care of that for you,” Stainer said.
Allegiant’s website shows the roundtrip flight costs roughly $50 to $200.
The man Stainer spoke to originally said that roundtrip flight would be $988-- and it would be even higher because she was flying for her husband’s funeral. The man even sent her what looks to be an Allegiant boarding pass with a confirmation code!
Fast forward to June 3, Stainer gave Allegiant’s ticket counter that code, and they printed her an actual boarding pass. She checked her bags. An attendant even wheeled her through TSA.
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She was just waiting at the gate.
But then everyone else boarded-- except for her.
“I said, why? Why can’t I go on the flight? I’ve got a ticket. I thought if you have a ticket, you’re good as gold,” Stainer said.
An Allegiant supervisor told her she didn’t have an actual ticket.
“He said, we’ve had a lot of scammers. This is not the first time that this has happened to us,” Stainer said.
Stainer says the scammers got away with roughly $2,000, charging her card more than a dozen times in small charges.
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9 Investigates called the number Stainer used to book that fraudulent ticket.
The person originally claimed to be a travel agency in New York.
The supervisor of their so-called agency wouldn’t say the company’s name unless we said who the passenger was.
“I don’t think to answer this question you have to have the passengers name?,” Webb said.
“And then I’m not answering anything ma’am,” the scammer said.
Stainer’s heartbreaking story also raises other questions, like how was she able to make it all the way to the gate with a fake ticket?
Allegiant confirmed with 9 Investigates their system did not flag Stainer’s ticket until after she left the ticket counter.
TSA said Stainer got through because the airline gave her an actual boarding pass.
Allegiant said typically their team would have caught a fraudulent ticket before then, but Stainer’s ticket was purchased too close to departure.
“Allegiant has a dedicated team responsible for identifying and investigating bookings made by fraudulent third parties. Ms. Stainer’s confirmation number was legitimate, which is why she was able to check in her luggage. However, the ticket was purchased through a third party that has previously been flagged for fraudulent activity. Within a few hours of booking, our system flagged the third-party purchaser,” Allegiant said in part in a statement to 9 Investigates. “Ms. Stainer purchased her ticket through the third-party on the day of travel. Had the flight been purchased earlier, she would have been notified before arriving at the airport, and a customer care representative would have been happy to provide her with suggestions on how to proceed.”
By the time the airline learned the ticket was fraudulent, Stainer’s luggage was already on the plane.
Her checked bag made it to Appleton, Wisconsin -- but Stainer missed her husband’s funeral.
“I was so intent on I’m going to be there to watch him be put in the ground. I owe him that,” Stainer said.
Allegiant says this scam has grown throughout the pandemic. Allegiant recommends booking directly through the airline, so you avoid getting scammed.
The Better Business Bureau recommends for any customer service line or site, do a quick internet search to make sure the number you’re calling or the website you’re using is the actual company, or airline in this case.
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