Google search gone wrong: East Bay woman out $14K after scammers impersonate foreign airline

7 On Your Side Google search gone wrong: East Bay woman out $14K after scammers impersonate foreign airline A Pleasanton woman says a search for her airline's customer service number led her straight to scammers -- and cost her $14,000. KGO-TV By Stephanie Sierra Friday, November 13, 2026 12:44AM Share Follow ABC7 on Google PLEASANTON, Calif. (KGO) -- We Google just about everything these days. But a Pleasanton woman says a search for her airline's customer service number led her straight to scammers. "Everything seemed legit," Pleasanton resident Kristen Stedman said. "I should've listened to the little hairs going up on my neck though." What she didn't know was that her flight had never been canceled. And this case is an important reminder: Just because a website appears near the top of a Google search doesn't mean it's legitimate. Stedman and her husband planned a trip to Portugal for their 25th wedding anniversary. "We started looking at airfares and we started to realize TAP Air Portugal was the main vetted airline that serves Portugal. We could get a direct flight out of San Francisco," Stedman said. Since it was a special trip, they splurged and booked first class. "Everything was on the up and up. We received an email confirmation with our reservation and tickets. And everything was fine," Stedman said. That all changed as she started double-checking the details. Stedman wanted to confirm the seats she selected were actually booked. When she couldn't tell from the email, she Googled TAP Air Portugal's customer service number. "They were ready to answer my call," Stedman said, "They were waiting. They were absolutely waiting." The people who answered asked for her reservation code, then told her there was a glitch in the system: Her flight was canceled and she needed to rebook. She says the scammer told her they have a third-party consolidator and travel agency, Adam Vacations, that would rebook her at a discounted rate. "I was skeptical of this," Stedman said. "While we were on the phone with them, we were Googling Adam Vacations, and they were coming up as a very reputed travel agency, so we started thinking this was actually valid." Stedman then received what appeared to be an email from TAP Air Portugal, saying she'd get a refund for her original tickets and be rebooked at the new fare. So she agreed. "All the emails I was getting in real time had the TAP Air Portugal logo on it," Stedman said. "Our antennas didn't go up." "How many times did you reach out to TAP Airlines and chase this, when you think about the hours?" 7 On Your Side's Stephanie Sierra said. "Oh, I would say about 60 to 80 hours of my time spent on this disaster!" Stedman said. When Stedman finally reached TAP Air Portugal directly, she said the airline confirmed she'd been scammed. Her original reservation was still active. Her flight had never been canceled. "My original reservation was alive and well," Stedman said. Apple employee charged with murder after crashing into car at nearly 100 mph killing toddler Level 2 storm to bring rain, dangerous surf to Bay Area and more than a foot of snow to the Sierra Search called off for 24-year-old Bay Area woman swept into ocean near Santa Cruz But Stedman says her fight wasn't over. She disputed the charge with Chase and submitted her documentation. Two months later, she says Chase denied her claim. "If they would have just done a little digging, they would've seen this was an impersonation scam," Stedman said. She says Adam Vacations submitted a lengthy report to Chase to support the denial, but it had numerous errors, including the wrong names listed on the tickets. Plus, she says one of her emails was altered. "All the evidence you have here, it really points to how organized this is," Stephanie Sierra said to Stedman. "Absolutely. I suspect they have a team of people," Stedman said. 7 On Your Side reached out to the company, and Adam Vacations refunded Stedman $14,704. Adam Vacations told 7 On Your Side: "Adam Vacations takes consumer concerns and allegations involving airline bookings, payment transactions, and customer communications very seriously. We appreciate the opportunity to review the concerns raised by your viewer. Based on the information currently available to us, the booking appears to have been handled through a sub-agent associated with Adam Vacations." "Feeling completely dismissed, until I got to 7 On Your Side. You guys are the first people who've been in my court. And I feel like Chase is now only willing to listen because we got a news group involved," Stedman said. TAP Air Portugal did not respond to our requests for comment. According to the FTC , impostor scams were the most reported fraud last year with reported losses increasing nearly thre times since 2020. Take a look at more stories and videos by 7 On Your Side. 7OYS's consumer hotline is a free consumer mediation service for those in the San Francisco Bay Area. We assist individuals with consumer-related issues; we cannot assist on cases between businesses, or cases involving family law, criminal matters, landlord/tenant disputes, labor issues, or medical issues. Please review our FAQ here . As a part of our process in assisting you, it is necessary that we contact the company / agency you are writing about. If you do not wish us to contact them, please let us know right away, as it will affect our ability to work on your case. If we are able to assist, we will reach back out to you. Report a correction or typo Copyright © 2026 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved. 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