Lufthansa Customer Claims Theft of 383,000 Miles; Airline Disputes Fraud

COLOGNE- A member of the Lufthansa Miles and More loyalty program reported losing a staggering 383,000 miles while traveling with the airline to Atlanta (ATL). It appears these miles were utilized for bookings unrelated to him, yet both the airline and the program have refused to restore his balance.

The incident occurred during the member’s flight from Frankfurt (FRA) to Atlanta (ATL). He became aware of the deduction shortly after landing, discovering that a ticket had been booked for travel from Vancouver (YVR) to New Delhi (DEL), a route completely unfamiliar to him.

Lufthansa Member Reports Loss of 383K Miles

As reported by sources, the member noticed the missing miles right after landing and promptly reached out to Miles and More support.

The support team revealed that a mixed-payment ticket had been bought that same day using his miles, coupled with a credit card not belonging to him. He firmly stated that he did not authorize this transaction and did not recognize any of the traveler’s details.

Support staff communicated that the unauthorized traveler was in Frankfurt and preparing to depart for India, but they were unable to take any action. Following the support team’s guidance, the member filed a formal complaint, convinced that the miles would eventually be reinstated.

However, more than two months later, he was told that no evidence of fraud had been found, even though he never received communication from the program’s fraud department.

The member sought documentation about the ticket, seeking clarity on the passenger’s name and payment information to understand how this could happen.

Miles and More rejected his request for these details, prompting significant concern over the loss of such a vast number of miles and highlighting the opacity surrounding the investigation.

Conflicting Communication Between the Airline and Program

The member explained that Lufthansa directed him to Miles and More as it was an account issue, but Miles and More sent him back to Lufthansa, citing potential fraud. This created confusion and left him without a straightforward path to resolution.

Additionally, he mentioned he received no email alerts about the redemption, no password change notifications, and there was no record of the booking in his inbox.

Despite having normal access to his account, the situation raised questions about how someone else could redeem such a significant amount of miles without any verification steps occurring.

Why This Case Raises Security Concerns

A number of unresolved questions persist regarding this incident:

• How was a ticket issued without sending a confirmation email to the account holder?
• How did a third party redeem miles without triggering authentication checks?
• Why was the initial fraud report deemed insufficient for temporary account protection?
• Why was there a lack of communication, given the seriousness of the claim?

Typically, loyalty programs are quick to address fraud cases and restore points during the review. In this case, the handling of the situation has raised concerns about how similar claims might be managed in the future.

Final Thoughts

A Lufthansa Miles and More member reported the unauthorized removal of 383,000 miles, which were used for a long-haul trip he did not approve.

Despite extensive follow-up efforts over months, there has been no resolution or reinstate of his miles. The absence of communication, documentation, and transparency raises significant security concerns regarding the program’s fraud handling practices.