There's a New Luggage Scam Targeting Checked Bags-Here's What You Need to Know

""We are getting an influx of fraudulent claims being submitted for 'missing items' as these people are observing who is removing their luggage tags in the claim areas and using your information to submit claims for reimbursement," the person wrote in the Reddit post. "From my own personal experience in currently dealing with this it is causing issue with reimbursing the real people if they submit a legitimate claim. So please be careful and don't take your tags off at the airport. They can steal enough information from that to use your travel itinerary to get paid.""

"Scammers are apparently taking travelers' white barcode tags, which can often have private passenger information like their name and itinerary confirmation number."

"On Reddit, travelers recommended passengers discard their luggage tags at home or shred them. "Clearly my strategy of forgetting to remove the tag until it's time for my next trip is paying off," one traveler joked."

Scammers target checked baggage by removing white barcode luggage tags and using printed personal details—such as passenger names and itinerary confirmation numbers—to file false lost-luggage claims and collect reimbursements. Airport claim-area observers and at least one baggage employee reported an influx of fraudulent claims that complicate reimbursement for legitimate passengers. Travelers advised discarding or shredding tags at home or retaining tags between trips as a precaution. Similar schemes have led to criminal charges in the past, including a 2021 federal case alleging hundreds of false missing-bag claims.

Read at Travel + Leisure