AirAsia warns public against hoax ads by uncertified travel agents

AirAsia and AirAsia X have warned the public against hoax advertisements by uncertified travel agents on their social media platforms, according the The Star Online.  These unauthorised agents claim to sell dicounted flights tickets on behalf of the airline carriers.The airline carrier mentioned in the statement that a police report has been filed post complaints from customers who fell prey to these fake travel agents.In a statement, AirAsia said a police report has been made by the airline after receiving several complaints from members of the public who fell victim to bogus travel agents.The company in the statement reminded the public to only book their tickets via official channels such as the website (www.airasia.com) or its affiliate websites.It warned the illegal perpetrators and said that "the company will not hesitate to take legal action against individuals or group who organise illegal schemes under the brand name."This is, however, not the first time that the brand's name is being misused. A similar case took place last year when AirAsia’s CEO Tony Fernandes’ image was seen endorsing advertisements on get-rich-quick schemes. The schemes which were put up on social media showed Fernandes revealing his secret of making as much as US$300 (RM1240) per day from home.Hoax ads are not unheard of, especially in the Malaysia market.In January this year,  Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin, the Malaysian singer, said she was looking to sue a trader for misusing her and her husband’s photos, to promote sexual stimulant pills online. This came at a point where Tarudin is looking to enter the Indonesian cosmetics market with the help of her cosmetic brand Simplysiti.