The complaint came from a passenger who was going to fly from Luanda to Lisbon on August 14, a flight meanwhile canceled, and which after successive and unsuccessful attempts to contact the TAP call center ended up going to the "TAP Air page Portugal Luanda "on Facebook.
"As I was very desperate to travel, I called and said that the flight would take place on August 16, but I would have to pay a fee to issue a new ticket," Brazilian businessman Carlos A. told Lusa, who realized later being a victim of fraud.
The con artists started by charging 98,888 kwanzas, an amount that would have to be paid in 40 minutes and that Carlos A. paid, according to proof sent to Lusa.
The businessman immediately received new contact, demanding more money, alleging a mistake.
Sir "Carlos is having a complication due to the amount (sic). It was our mistake, the amount is not being compatible, the amount to be paid is AOA 178,888.00. Be brief", read in the messages he received .
That's when the alarms went off. "Then I got suspicious and went looking for TAP's physical store," he said.
TAP keeps its two physical stores in Luanda (in the city and at the airport) closed, but Carlos A. came across the door with a notice, dated February 19, stating that TAP "is not responsible for transactions for payment of TAP services that are made by third parties "and providing the contact email tapluanda@tap.pt and telephones +244 923 167 300/1/2/9/18.
"I fell into this trap," said the businessman, who has already complained to the police.
"In a hurry and anxiety, at a time when the country finds itself with borders and airports closed, with no one to talk to and ask questions", "despair" spoke louder and Carlos A. ended up being circumvented.
The businessman regrets never being able to speak to TAP: "On the official TAP page there is a post in which they admit the difficulty in service, they say that they take too long to answer, but the truth is that I was not even able to be served".
Carlos A. added that the fraudsters have already contacted him again, using three different cell phone numbers, in an attempt to extort more money.
Lusa contacted one of the numbers provided on the page with the alleged intention of purchasing a return ticket Luanda-Lisbon-Luanda.
On the other hand, an alleged employee of the TAP counter in Luanda indicated that he had five tickets available for a Luanda-Lisbon flight on 20 August and that he could guarantee his return to the capital on 17 September.
The person, who identified himself as Camilo Mujingo, asked for a photograph of his passport, to send the bank details and payment must be made in 45 minutes, with the ticket being issued next.
According to him, the one-way ticket would cost 269,999 kwanzas and a return ticket of 423,444 kwanzas, "promotional prices".
Contacted by Lusa, TAP reported that whenever it detects this type of fraud, it reports the respective pages to Facebook, which has already been done in the case in question.
"Additionally, TAP has also filed a complaint with the Angolan authorities", informed the airline's source, noting that the contacts "in the referred fraudulent post" are not from TAP.
TAP also reinforced the warning to its passengers so that they do not share any personal data with profiles or pages other than the official ones of the company.
