How to spot fraudulent flight-ticket websites
Warning signs of a fake site
The price is noticeably lower than every other source for the same flight and date — not "a bit cheaper," but several times lower; that's the first and most reliable red flag. Next come missing real contact details (just a contact form, no phone number, legal address, or company name), insistence on payment only by bank transfer or cryptocurrency instead of a card, no HTTPS, or an odd domain imitating a known brand with a typo (an extra letter in the airline's name, say).
How to verify an agency or airline
If a site claims to be an IATA-accredited travel agency, you can check that directly through the official IATA CheckACode tool, using the agency's unique IATA code. It's also worth checking the domain's age, real reviews outside the site itself (not just on it), and whether the company has a legal name findable in public registries.
In Moldova, protecting consumer rights, including for air passengers, falls to the Agency for Consumer Protection and Market Surveillance — its site has advice on what to check when buying a ticket: the total price with all fees at the time of booking, flight conditions (schedule, baggage allowance), and the fare's applicable restrictions. In just one summer season, the agency logged dozens of passenger complaints — mostly about delays, damaged baggage, and cancellations, not fraud directly, but the general advice to check conditions in advance applies to fraud risk too.
Paying safely
Pay by card (not a transfer to a personal account, and not crypto) — that gives you a chargeback option through your bank if the service isn't delivered. Check that the payment page uses HTTPS and the seller's own real domain, not an outside redirect. 3D Secure verification, enabled by default, is an extra layer of protection worth keeping active in your banking app.
What to do if you've already paid on a suspicious site
Contact your bank right away and request a chargeback, stating the reason — the service wasn't delivered, or the seller doesn't match what was advertised. Keep every screenshot of the page, correspondence, and payment confirmation. Report it to the Agency for Consumer Protection (Moldova) or, if payment went through a Romanian site, to ANPC (Romania's equivalent body). The faster you report it, the better your odds of getting the money back through your bank.
Checklist before buying
The price is in line with other sources for the same flight. Real contact details and a legal company name exist. Payment is by card, with HTTPS and 3D Secure. For an agency, the code checks out on IATA CheckACode. Our own About us page is an example of how an honest aggregator plainly describes its role: we're not an airline and don't sell tickets directly — we show partner offers and route you to them to pay.
Sources
The agency accreditation check tool: IATA CheckACode. Consumer advice in Moldova: Agency for Consumer Protection and Market Surveillance. Romania's equivalent body: ANPC.
What's next
How Decolare.md works and what our role is in the buying process — on the About us page. The list of airlines with official sites and contacts is on the Airlines page.
