BALTIMORE — Holiday travelers are falling victim to sophisticated scams that cost them hundreds of dollars and compromise their flight reservations.

A Maryland woman experienced this with her Lufthansa flight in November, just three days before departure. She called during the government shutdown to check her flight status, provided her name and record locator, and the person on the line confirmed her itinerary.

The caller then charged her for an upgrade, but when she didn't receive a confirmation email and called back, she realized it was a scam and accused them of taking her money. Using her reservation details, the scammer then canceled her flight entirely.

"All you really need is a record locator. It's a six-digit alphanumeric code and the passenger's last name, and you can find a t

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