Letter from US Airlines about free airline tickets
Here’s another mailing about free airline tickets, only instead of coming from a fake incentive company, it is from a fake airline called US Airlines – “Fly the US skies”! (See other posts here.) Please comment if you received one.
They have a variation that includes an award notification and boarding pass. See below for pictures.
It tells you that you have qualified for an award of 2 roundtrip airline tickets. It looks like it was actually signed by Barbara Dion or Alexia Pitt or Kate White or Loretta Cape or Ann Roy or Charlene James or Angela King or Marcia O’Neal or Janelle Kelly or Candice Bray or Phyllis Neal or Melanie Car or Jessica Clay or Katherine Cota or Christina Jud or Shauna West or Jane Austin or Hillary Baio or Jessica Nish or C. Ray or Dorothy Wade or Linda Ford or Jade Beal or Nicole Clay or Valerie Fay or Erica Bale or K. Mane or Loretta Pine or Alexis Doug or Kristina Bar or Brittany Hunt or Doris Jack, the “Vice President.” They hand write the address on the envelope and use a real stamp (sometimes!).
Here is the cheesy website for this letter. Once you go to the sales pitch and sign up, you book through a fulfillment company. I’ve seen two lately: Universal Travel Vacations (website, BBB report) or the The Vacation Station (website, BBB report TN, BBB report SC)
I have found the answers to this mystery thanks to the great work of the folks at BBB in Tucson, AZ:
http://www.bbb.org/tucson/business-reviews/travel-clubs/southwest-travel-club-in-tucson-az-20007983
http://www.bbb.org/tucson/business-reviews/prize-promotions/patterson-bell-in-tucson-az-20027549
An actual story: http://www.kgun9.com/features/investigations/122887609.html
NEW video from INSIDE THE SALES PRESENTATION: http://www.9news.com/news/article/362984/339/Companies-behind-free-airline-ticket-letters-
Great reporting from WKMG: http://www.clickorlando.com/news/Free-travel-offer-mystifies-consumers/-/1637132/15701330/-/8s7gus/-/index.html
Video from inside the first ever video encounter I’ve seen: http://www.kboi2.com/news/local/Travel-service-vacation-smart-international-us-airlines-vacationanddeals-com-175915611.html?tab=video&c=y
If you would like to read more about these folks, visit this post. You can read all about the sales presentation, the free offer and the what you get for your vacation membership club cash outlay.
LETTER:
I am pleased to inform you that you have qualified for an award of 2 roundtrip airline tickets. Congratulations. These tickets are valid for travel anywhere in the Continental U.S. The retail value of this award is up to $1,400.00. Certain restrictions apply.
We have attempted contacting you several times without success. This is our last attempt. If we do not hear from you soon, we may need to issue the ticket vouchers to the alternate.
Please call me today at 1-866-995-7151 (numbers always changing).
Regards,
VP du jour (see above)
Vice President
AWARD NOTIFICATION/BOARDING PASS:
Here is what would happen if you did call:
ADVICE:
When I read this, it was just too good not to post. It’s from the Nebraska Attorney General (page 13 printed/page 15 PDF).
Look for the warning signs that may indicate a scam:
- Benefits sound too good to be true.
- The company has no permanent address and all presentations are held in rented conference rooms.
- They can’t, or won’t, provide you with references.
- They don’t want to give you an itemized list of what’s included in your trip until you have already signed the contract.
What you should do if you suspect a scam:
- Don’t sign any contract during the travel presentation. They are high-pressure events intended to stir the emotions of an exotic vacation.
- Contact a respected travel agent in town, give them the specifics of the trip, and ask if that seems consistent with industry pricing.
- Shop around. Compare your trip with other travel packages being offered to seniors.
Here is Michigan’s Attorney General’s advice:
http://www.michigan.gov/ag/0,1607,7-164-34739_20942-44762–,00.html
Got also this 2-roundtrip-letter, same as Shelly. Phone seems to change very often. #:1-866-364-7251.
Thanks for the BLOG, hope all people are gonna watch this before calling US-Airlines
I got one yesterday. Ugh. So glad I researched before making the call.
Got my letter today. (MA)
Hand written envelope postmakred Phoenix Az.
letter signed by Kristina Bar (VP)
I received one too a couple of days ago postmarked Oklahoma City,OK. Same ‘Official Documents’ with tear off seals. Phone# was 866-364-0517.
My husband and I have gotten our second letter. This was was via Phoenix and signed by Kristina Bar. Number is 1-866-357-2194. We are not going to call, knew it was a scam by the hand written envelope and less than professional looking “stationary”. We are in Pittsburgh, PA.
I received mine today also. Mine was the official doc. type to,with a phone number of 866-299-5905 and signed, Awards Department. It also noted that this not a timeshare or land sales offer. I live in South Carolina and even us down south are not going to fall for a scam like this.
Looks like SC is back on the market with these people. I got a new name for you though…. Kristina Bar (VP) and a new number: 1-866-363-8045. Seems the phone number changes almost as much as the VP. Not a good business model if you ask me. Oh well, time to contact someone about this and file my letter in the shredder pile.
1) Has anyone called to see what happens? If that phone number is a toll-free number right?
2) Instead of shredding or tossing the letter and envelope, maybe we should mail them to our State Attorney General.
Trudy,
Yes, many have called. Since there are so many comments, it’s hard to quickly find! Search within the browser for the word “called”. Read the link in my post for stories of folks that have gone and actually bought in, like this: http://www.kgun9.com/Global/story.asp?S=12741861 — SORRY, their link changed to this: http://www.kgun9.com/features/investigations/122887609.html
here’s another:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/cambridge/news/opinions/x824875839/Letter-Beware-of-scam#axzz1atENPDYQ
As for reporting them, many have. It looks to me like nothing happens until there are many reports of people actually being bilked of big money. Some Attorneys General have shut this MO down before (search for “Lawsuit”):
http://69.6.215.248/?p=520
Just got ours in the mail today phone # is 866 509 2843
Got one too. US Airlines 1-866-509-5898
signed by Kristina Bar.
I knew it was a scam right away but decided to see who else got one.
I just received the same letter today, also signed by Kristina Bar, Vice President. There phone number 1-866-509-2511. Big clue that this was a scam…no address!
I also received a letter from US Airlines. Dated 23rd, 2012 and that I should respond by February 1st. Same exact spill.
Well Kristina Bar must be the new V.P. of the world renowned US Airways!! When I called asking for her she was “unfortunately unavailable”, but they had great news for me!! I mentioned I was deathly afraid of flying & never had before, & was only calling to see if they had job opportunities thru the “Airline” as I was seeking employment. Made my appointment, will miss & reschedule as many times as I can…
Pittsburgh, Pa
1-866-509-1022
Got the same type of letter, signed by Kristina Bar, no return address on envelope and two 44 cent stamps. Hefty postage for a single page letter!
Got ours today. Last name spelled wrong. And seriously, what VP signs letter as VP, but VP of what. REALLY!! I am hesitant to call them because some 800 numbers actually reverse bill you, so I won’t try. Thanks so much for having this blog!
Received my letter in the mail yesterday. The number to call is 1-866-509-1337. The Vice President listed is Kristina Bar. I was suspicious from the start with no return address and a very amateurish looking letter head. It’s also postmarked from Phoenix, AZ. I live in Illinois.
Im in Illinois, got the letter today from Kristina Bar, with the 866-509-1337 number. If you want to have fun with them theres a website called prank dial. Id like to make these people as irritated as I am.
Got a letter and called, set up appt. Fortunately when speaking with a friend she recognized the name us airlines and told me she saw this on the news and it was a scam. Thank goodness! Pittsburgh pa, 866-357-2194 signed by Kristina Bar
I got the letter today and this one was signed by Brittany Hunt, Vice President. They sure have a lot of VP’s! This has got to be the biggest company ever that no one ever heard of. I seriously feel for the idoits that actually fall for this.
WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER IN ILLINOIS! My Kristina Bar, VP of nothing, has been busy sending out more letters. NEW number too 866.509.1038. Ooops, I missed my deadline, Feb. 1st, 2012 they wil have to issue the ticket voucher to the alternate. Good luck alternate!! Arrivederche! Odios! See Ya!
Congrats to the newest in a long line of VP’s at US Airlines, Brittany Hunt!
Northern Illinois, checking in.
These folks don’t give up, do they?
Today I received the same letter with the same wording mailed from Phoenix, AZ and signed by Brittany Hunt, Vice President. The telephone number is 1-866-488-0464. At the bottom of the letter is a code: FK-xxxxx.
Once upon a time US Air was called US Airways. Oerhaps they are hoping that recipients will by confused by the similarity of names.
Got my bush league looking letter today., 2/3/12. I intend to call the number and give the unfortunate soul that answers the phone a massive ration of s***. I’m in Colorado.
Mimicking the W2 form is genius, IMO. Except… when did the IRS ever send notices for 2 free airline tickets? Durn logic!
My callback number is 866-503-2025
and then notice claims to be sent from Oklahoma City, OK.
Guess the Super Bowl has reminded them to try Indiana, too. Received pretty much the same thing today – very official looking mailing marked “Official Documents Enclosed”, “Notice Urgency: EXTREME” and “FINAL NOTICE”. “Postage paid Oklahoma City”. Number to call is 1-866-472-2716. No signature (did they run out of VP’s? – I’m disappointed), just:”Awards Department”. Darn it, if I weren’t so busy I’d call them up and have some fun.
Recvd. my lucky letter today in Michigan; it was from Brittany Hunt, VP. My letter stated that if I didn’t respond by Feb. 8, 2012, “they may need to issue my ticket vouchers to the alternate.” I hope my alternate doesn’t fall for this scam.
I received a letter recently, reply by Feb 8, 2012. It was signed by Brittnay Hunt (haven’t seen that name yet) and to call 1-866-473-7752.
We live in the West Michigan area, (think Muskegon) Thank you for your all your comments, some of them are quite amusing. My husband loves to eat telemarketers for lunch so he may have a go at this one (and he is currently in school earning a criminal justice degree)
reference #FK-XXXXX
Got my letter about an award of two tickets on jetBlue.
CP PO Box 20389 West Palm Beach FL 33416. With wording like;
last chance to respond, attempted contacting you several times,
claim is limited offer and so on. BBB gives a F to this company.
(Taken from another post) I received an “Award Notification” from an unknown source which had “US Airlines” printed at the top. It promised “2 round trip airline tickets to anywhere in the continental US from any major international US airport.” When I called the rep, she told me it was “Universal Travel Vacations” in Tinley Park, IL and to claim this award I would have to bring my spouse to a sales presentation to explain their services, but we were under no obligation to buy anything, there would be no high pressure sales tactics, and we would only have to pay taxes for the 2 tickets.
So my wife and I went to the presentation which lasted over 90 minutes. We found out that they were selling something similar to time shares (discounts on travel lodging in their condos). However, after the presentation the sales pitch turned ugly. There was an exhaustive repeat of the details by another rep, followed by 2 other reps that were brought in, and a final rep who also tried to sell an alternative travel package. We said we were not interested. Finally, she gave us a sheet of paper that needed to be mailed into “Global Vacation Network.” It had 7 choices of vacations, each of which would cost even more money because of other costs related to the travel or “refundable deposits” which we didn’t want to give them up front. All we wanted was the airline tickets, not a complete weeklong vacation.
We went to their website which was also confusing and deceptive with their charges. So I called and got the “customer service” number. I machine answered and I left a message, but no one returned the call. We sensed that they had misrepresented their original claim for giving us the airline tickets and we, therefore, did not send in the list of choices, nor did we send any money. I suppose it’s possible that their discounts make a frequent traveler save some money. But they should not be offering free airline tickets if they will not give out those tickets without other stipulations. Our purpose in exposing them is to make sure no one else falls for this misleading offer.
I had been receiving letters notifying me of a potential award. I knew it was fake, shredded them, and disposed of them. Then yesterday, I receive my official document, with enclosed voucher. I live in Indiana, and mine was sent from Oklahoma. There wasn’t any signature, only Awards Department 1-866-472-2716. Before contacting anyone to report the fraudulent mail, I wanted to see what I could find online on the scam. Everyone needs to contact the necessary parties to end this scam. We all know there are people out there who have and will fall for this scam. I am not willing to call the number provided, out of fear of a large phone bill, or mysterious charges to my checking account. However, I will be contacting the appropriate parties here in Indiana. Hopefully, someone can stop this, because it has been going on for too long. I’m thankful there is a forum to share the information provided and who we should contact to report it.
Danielle,
You don’t need to worry about phone charges or mysterious bank charges, just the sleezy salespeople getting you to sign up.
Received today – “Travel Check Voucher Enclosed”, “Final Notice”, 866-473-0561, “This is not a timeshare or land sales offer, authorized signature “Doris Jack”, US Airlines, appears to be from Phoenix, AZ, $1400 voucher redemable….did not call – glad to find this blog! Thanks
They are in Florida now – same old, same old. New phone number 1-866-462-9780 and the VP is now Brittnay Hunt but it looks like similiar to the one in the sample letter. Not as good as the Jamacian Scam that has a new Mercedes waiting for me – be careful about an 876 exchange number – you get billed for an out of country call and not Mercedes!
Same one in Florida, from Brittany Hunt, Vice President, phone number 1-866-462-9780. “We have attemped to contact you several times without success.” “Last attempt if we don’t hear from you soon.” “You must respond no later than Feb. 15th” Return PO stamp, Phoenix, AZ. Wish I were gutsy enough to poke some fun, but sounds like many have! Would love to be a little mouse listening in!
Brittany Hunt is still in charge but her phone number has changed. This operation is very busy. I guess enough people still fall for these scams.
Yeah, got one today in Denver, CO. B Hunt and 866 463 0607 with a Phoenix, AZ 852 zip. Real 45c stamp though. Thinking of calling them and having some fun…
Thanx for keeping this up!
While visiting my 74 yr old mother, i was helping her sort through her mail and found this letter with her two FREE tickets on bogus letterhead US Airlines. signed by Alexis Doug.
Phone Number 1.866.370.3941
Handwritten Envelope from Phoenix, AZ. 850 zip. No return address.
Glad we have the internet and sites such as this to keep us informed and keep these idiots at bay.
I received the letter Brittany Hunt today, and made the mistake of calling before I found this site. I called (866-46300610) and spoke to Shawn. I initially set an appointment to listen to a travel presentation. Then I found this site, so I called the confirmation number (822-299-1009). It turned out that Shawn also answered this number. I told him he had just spoken to me, and he tried to act like he did not recognize me from a few minutes earlier. When I told him him I wanted to cancel my appointment to sit in on this travel scam presentation, he got really offended. He raised his voice and started to trying to explain how this was not some program to take money from people but to offer discounted travel. He said I had gotten bad information. I asked him if his mother knew he lied to people like this. He then said he would remove my name from the appointment. He must have remembered who I was then, because he did not even ask for my name again.
HA!
I live in Indiana and received the award notification with a phone number of 866-452-4408. I knew this had to be a scam and your website confirmed it for me! Thanks to everyone for the info!
husband received this letter from “Brittany Hunt” VP…..figured it was a scam….thanks for your information….February 13, 2012
GOT THIS LETTER TODAY THERE MUST BE ALOT OF PEOPLE WITH SO MUCH TIME ON THERE HANDS TO
REACH OUT & TAKE OTHER PEOPLES MONEY,I HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED TREAT PAOPLE AS I WANT TO BE TRATED,ARE THERE THIS MANY PEOPLE THAT ENJOY BEING TAKEN,SAD WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN.
2/13/2012 – I received the same letter today and I am in Colorado. Signed by Brittany Hunt phone 1-866-463-0607. My first thought: who is US Airlines, as I have never heard of them (I use to do travel for my office), then I thought this has to be a scam. After looking at the envelope again, there was no return address and then I see the handwritten name they mail it to and wonder how they got that name as I don’t go by that, so now I wonder where/how are they getting their info. Thanks to all of you for your comments, makes me feel good I wasn’t the only one who received on of these. To bad we can stop them.
My “voucher” has a phone number not yet reported on this page: 1-866-452-0821
Got one today! Was a card where you tear the sides to open up.US Airlines notified me that I received a flight coupon and a boarding pass for two to be redeemed by Feb 22, 2012 Ref# Fo-2xxxx
However the voucher has a new phone# 1-866-452-2606
U.S.Postage PAID Oklahoma,OK Permit NO.324
People keep up the good work ~<}:0)
Just got the hand addressed letter today with a real stamp. As soon as I saw the sloppy faux logo and the “Vice President” Kelly Mane, I knew it was a hoax. I have parents that would have fallen for this, so I called, and gave the operator a what for. She was very rude and defensive, it was quite funny. She asked me “why the hell I called” if I knew it was a scam. I said, “for s***s and giggles”. Waste my time, I will waste yours.
Since the phone call was picked up immediately, I was assuming the busy sounds in the background were a sham too, very easy to play a recording of it when the phone rings.
I worry about people like my dad, who would have fallen for this…
Got a SECOND mail from these scammers via USPS again today. This now makes two physical mail pieces and more than six emails from the same ‘bogus’ US Airlines source (guess they’ve got MY ‘number’, eh?).
This latest one shows all new dates of ‘expiration’ (February 22nd, 2012)and line about repeated efforts to contact me, with the same line about “..we may have to issue the ticket vouchers to the alternate..”, but this one has a totally new number (1-866-444-8512), but obviously the same scam.
My initial ‘gut response’ was that this was a potential bogus ‘come-on’, and I’ve ignored all of these ‘contact efforts’ every time – and this one will line my trash can again today.
Repeated efforts, like these, probably does net them some unsuspecting, gullible folks – which is most obviously their intent….
Got one today from Traveldeals…same format as the letter at the beginning of this thread, word for word, from Phoenix, no return address, same as all others. phone 1-866-563-4984
from “Kelly Mane, VP” Yeah, right!
Received my letter today sent from Phoenix AZ 852, postal marks 15 feb 2012 . Handwritten address to me , and Signed by Kelly Mane “Vice President” 866-444-4383