800-874-8872

DO NOT CALL: Toll-free typosquatting / airline customer service impersonator.

This inbound number (800-874-8872) differs by just one digit from Turkish Airlines' official toll-free customer support line (1-800-874-8875).

It is routed to a third-party travel agency network operating out of San Diego, CA (LBF Travel, Inc. / SmartFares / Low Cost Airlines).

HOW THE SCHEME WORKS:
1. Impersonation: An agent answering on this line falsely claims to represent official Turkish Airlines customer support and conceals that they work for a third-party broker.
2. Account Takeover / OTP Solicitation: The agent requests a one-time passcode (OTP) transmitted by the airline to "open your file," then uses that code to log directly into your airline account portal and modify bookings while posing as the passenger.
3. Hidden Markups: They quote an all-in change fee (e.g., thousands of dollars) claiming the entire amount is legitimate airline fare difference.
4. Deceptive Billing: In reality, the airline fee is a fraction of the cost, and the agency secretly pockets the remainder (e.g., $3,000) under the misleading credit card descriptor:
"SMF-LOWCOSTAIR*TK-TKT 858-834-8360 CA"
They intentionally embed the carrier's IATA code ("TK") and ticketing label ("TK-TKT") into their billing line to mislead banks and cardholders into believing the charge is genuine airline ticket reissue cost. No receipt or fee agreement is ever provided.

Associated DBAs & Sites: SmartFares, Low Cost Airlines (lowcostairlines.com), Traveler Help Desk (travelerhelpdesk.com), Travelation, Cheap Flights Now, HotelWiz.

If you were charged, immediately dispute the transaction with your credit card issuer as deceptive merchant misrepresentation, and change your airline account login credentials right away.