Canadian woman lost thousands after airline customer support scam

A Canadian woman is warning the public about a customer support scam after losing thousands of dollars when she and her family were at their most vulnerable.

Marzieh Asgari* told Daily Hive that the distressing ordeal began when her father was set to visit her and her family from Iran for Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in March.

According to the North Vancouver, B.C., resident, Iranian airline Mahan Air cancelled the first leg of the flight from Tehran to Turkey. Asgari’s sister contacted the airline, asking if it was possible to get a refund or change the dates since Iran was an active war zone at the time, and their father could not catch the flight.

“They firmly stated that even though some flights are eligible for refunds or change dates, since my dad did not purchase a ticket that is refundable, they are unable to help,” said Asgari.

How the scam unfolded through social media

The scammers began taking advantage of the family’s desperation after Asgari contacted Turkish Airlines, the second airline that her father was flying on, to see if they could help. It was a move that would end up costing her $6,000.

“Since the flight was happening on the same day and we were quite distressed, I did post on X and commented on Turkish Airlines’ Instagram page,” explained Asgari. “On their Instagram, they asked if I could DM them. Then, a fake social media account called TurkishAirlinesHolidays also commented, saying ‘Hello, I have contacted you via other social media channels. Please check. Thank you.'”

Asgari was flooded with comments and responses on X that all seemed like they were Turkish Airlines’ customer service. Many had a check mark beside their name that made them look official.

The scammer’s fake social media account can also be seen replying to other people looking for assistance from the airline.

Asgari provided her WhatsApp number, email address, and full name upon request, as she and her sister were initially happy that they could help their father get a “huge chunk of money” back.

“After they called me via WhatsApp, they asked about my father’s name and flight number. I also explained that we had filed a complaint and had been denied a refund. He then said. ‘Oh, due to the situation, we will use an application to refund the money.'”

“He asked me to download the app and make an account, but the recipient was in fact the scammer. He then proceeded to ask me to write down numbers, saying they are codes that will make sure my accounts exist. They were, in fact, money amounts, but Kenyan money.”

Asgari had her suspicions, but several things convinced her that the person helping her was legitimate instead of being it being a customer support scam.

This included the fact that the scammer told her there is no other way to send money to Iran because of war, and that she could hear a lot of other agents in the background talking to other people on the phone.

“As he gave me these numbers, the transitions were either ‘pending’ or they failed. So he grew impatient and asked me to get Remitly,” she said. “When that did not connect to my Apple Pay, he got me to download Lemfi. From Lemfi, he asked me to connect to my actual bank rather than Apple Pay since it wasn’t working, and I got accepted to send money to the app.”

Asgari began to grow concerned when she saw that money was moving out of her bank account, and when she received messages from BMO with codes alerting her not to share them. She then messaged the Turkish Airlines Instagram page and asked if the person she was in contact with represented the company.

“I asked the scammer, ‘Why is money being deducted from my bank?’ He said they will compensate me for the extra time it’s taking to get the refund, and then he slipped and said, ‘Remember, Qatar Airlines is a big company, and they have to deal with all these refunds at the moment.’

“I said, ‘Why did you just say Qatar Airlines?’ At this point, I saw that the Instagram page is saying it is not them. I started yelling at them and hung up. The scammer started calling me again, repeatedly, still trying to convince me that they are Turkish Airlines.”

“I truly felt like I wanted to die.”

Three additional “pending transactions” arrived at their destination, which was the scammers’ accounts. In total, Asgari was out $6,000 after the customer support scam

Asgari initially had difficulties obtaining a refund for the payment sent from RBC to the scammers.

“RBC said they are not giving me a refund cause I authorized the purchase,” she shared. “This is when I broke down again. I truly felt like I wanted to die. There is no other way to describe it.

“Not only had I not gotten my dad’s money back, but I had lost money that, if I had had it, I could have helped him with.”

Asgari explained that the scammers used three platforms: Lemfi, WorldRemit, and Remitly. All transactions went through Apple Pay, and her accounts at BMO and RBC.

While Lemfi managed to return her money to her BMO account, she said that WorldRemit blamed RBC for not flagging the transactions. Meanwhile, RBC said it’s not its responsibility, but rather WorldRemit’s.

“When I called RBC the day after the customer support scam, the agent said if anyone should have stopped it, it was WorldRemit. He advised me to call them back again, and since it hasn’t been 24 hours, maybe the money has not been fully transferred. This started a whole ordeal with me frantically calling WorldRemit and RBC.

“WorldRemit said the bank authorized it, so why would they stop it. The bank said it is not disputable, and they suggested I contact WorldRemit, even though the first agent did tell me it would be refunded. The last RBC agent I talked to said again that it is refundable and to call the day after when the transactions are posted on my credit card account. I called the day after, and they said it is not refundable.

“I have just been passed around over and over, and I have never felt so stupid. I wish I were mugged, beaten, and stolen from because at least then people wouldn’t treat me like this.”

The number of scams continues to rise

Zepz, WorldRemit’s parent company, told Daily Hive that Asgari’s financial losses stemmed from a social engineering customer support scam focusing on victim manipulation, not a breach or failure of its fraud and security processes.

“We are deeply saddened that Asgari was targeted and tricked by a sophisticated impersonation scam,” said Zepz in a statement. “This type of fraud involves criminals manipulating victims into using a payment platform like WorldRemit to knowingly transmit a ‘friends and family’ payment to the fraudster.

“In this incident, the transactions were successfully processed because they passed bank verification, which confirms the transfer was legitimately initiated. The verification that authorizes the capture of funds is solely dependent upon the financial institution.”

Asgari did report the incident to the North Vancouver RCMP and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) in a statement, with the latter telling Daily Hive that fraudsters are increasingly impersonating airlines on social media platforms, through sponsored advertisements, and manipulating search engine results.

“These scams are designed to appear legitimate, often using official logos, copied branding, and urgent messaging to trick Canadians into sharing personal and financial information or making fraudulent payments,” said the CAFC.

“This type of fraud falls under the broader service fraud category, which had an overall reported loss to victims of nearly $20 million in 2025. Keep in mind that fraud is underreported, and we estimate that only five to 10 per cent of victims report to the CAFC.”

Ryan R. Lee, a lawyer and partner at Watson Goepel, echoed that there has been a sharp rise in consumer-level scams, and adds that everyone needs to be more vigilant with their information.

“Consumers need to remember that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is,” said Lee. Consumers need to slow down and not respond to unsolicited communication. Always independently verify the people involved in any financial transaction.

Lee added that it is critical to act immediately because once funds are transferred outside of Canada, the likelihood of recovery decreases significantly.

“Notify your bank without delay to report the fraud. If the funds were sent to an account at another financial institution, contact that institution directly to report the incident. The priority is to have the funds frozen as quickly as possible.”

Daily Hive also contacted Turkish Airlines, but did not receive a reply before press time.

According to Asgari, her father felt guilty because he felt he pushed her and her sister to get a refund.

“The little time he has to talk to us, he is trying to comfort me or tell my mom that I shouldn’t be worried because he will pay me back. He is currently still in Iran, and we talk with him whenever he calls us. We can not reach back or message him. So mostly we wait. Being scammed is just a new level of despair.”

A recent study shows that nearly one in four Canadians says they or a family member has been the victim of financial fraud or a scam in the past year.

A glimmer of hope amidst the shame

However, there may be light at the end of the tunnel for Asgari and her family, as RBC recently reached out to Daily Hive to confirm that they are working on a solution for them.

“We recognize that any time a client is impacted by fraud or scams, it can be a difficult and stressful situation for them,” said Nathaniel Wallace, senior manager of corporate communications for RBC.

“We value our client relationships, and we carefully investigate all concerns. While we cannot comment further due to client privacy, we can confirm that we are actively working with our client directly to address their concerns.

“We encourage clients to reach out to us if they have been impacted by a scam, as we review each instance on a case-by-case basis.”

Asgari also shared that RBC has reached out to offer a full refund as an “exception” due to the customer support scam.

“I feel relieved more than anything. It means I can finally shift my focus back to what’s happening in Iran and reassure my dad that this situation isn’t something he needs to carry or worry about,” the Metro Vancouver resident shared.

“At the same time, the process to get here was extremely difficult. I went through a long period of confusion and stress, receiving inconsistent information from different agents, and at times feeling like I wasn’t being heard or understood.

“I do want to acknowledge the RBC Client Care representative who ultimately handled my case and approached it with empathy and professionalism, which made a meaningful difference. Being listened to properly at that stage helped de-escalate a situation that had been very overwhelming.”

Asgari also shared advice to anyone going through a similar scam situation.

“I understand if you feel shame about being scammed, but it’s still important to report it to the police,” she added. “Report the scam to the fraud prevention authorities or the media. Usually, with crimes like these, people mostly get away because they are unreported. So report it, and maybe it would help other people not go through this.”

Have you been subject to a potential scam in a similar way? Share your story with us at trending@dailyhive.com.

*A pseudonym was used to protect the source’s privacy.