A Flight to Nowhere? My Experience With a Fake Ticket from TLV to ATH

[YitzyS]

how I can escalate (either with Chase, a regulator, or a government agency, maybe even in Israel)

Or bring in the big guns... media inquiry from DansDeal.com

[Euclid]

I hate to tell you this, but chase is absolutely worthless when filing disputes, it is probably done by some foreign call center, and unless it fits exactly into their cookie cutter category and then another cookie cutter category, you are out of luck. While Amex is a bit better, they are not that much better lately.
(For hotels DONT ever use chase as you will always loose). My associate spends  1M+  annually on credit cards and maybe disputes something once in a while and with Chase he always looses even when it's obvious. Amex is hit or miss.
(Once even paid something 1/2 chase and 1/2 amex, and Amex sided with him, while chase basically send a generic denial of something that had nothing to do with the dispute just some common words).
For items never received or fraud they are usually ok, but to dispute service or scams (such as sender sending empty box etc.), they worthless.

That's why I'm saying to go the insurance route - I'm assuming it's a 3rd party.

[Emgee]

I hate to tell you this, but chase is absolutely worthless when filing disputes, it is probably done by some foreign call center, and unless it fits exactly into their cookie cutter category and then another cookie cutter category, you are out of luck. While Amex is a bit better, they are not that much better lately.
(For hotels DONT ever use chase as you will always loose). My associate spends  1M+  annually on credit cards and maybe disputes something once in a while and with Chase he always looses even when it's obvious. Amex is hit or miss.
(Once even paid something 1/2 chase and 1/2 amex, and Amex sided with him, while chase basically send a generic denial of something that had nothing to do with the dispute just some common words).

For items never received or fraud they are usually ok, but to dispute service or scams (such as sender sending empty box etc.), they worthless.

Totally agree. I had some real fraudulent charges a few months ago — someone was using my card all over the place with Chase, and it took multiple phone calls to finally get it resolved. Honestly, it feels like they’re just letting scammers get away with murder. It’s easier for them to deny the claim and move on. Unfortunately, Amex isn’t much better these days either.

[Emgee]

Or bring in the big guns... media inquiry from DansDeal.com

I wish..

[Emgee]

The site I booked through is called Lucky2Go, also operating under the name ESKY. They are totally acting in bad faith — stay far away from them.

I’m also wondering, since these companies have a presence in the US, is there any way to take action against them?

[Ly18]

Quick update on my situation with the fake flight ticket I posted about earlier:

After my first dispute was denied (because the merchant provided proof that a ticket was issued), I called Chase to explain that the ticket was for a flight that never existed. The rep said they would reopen the dispute and file it correctly. The next day, it was closed again without any notice.

Last week, I spoke to a supervisor who told me my account would be permanently credited and nothing else was needed. After a few days, I saw there was no credit, so I called back and was told that since the dispute was now opened and closed three times, they can’t reopen it anymore. They said they’ll do an internal audit, but then I got a letter saying:

"Here's the resolution
While you may have a valid complaint with the merchant, the results of our investigation confirm that the transactions are valid and no billing error occurred on your account.
We notified these credit reporting agencies that you disagree with the resolution of the dispute:"

Chase now says unless I have documentation proving the flight did not operate, there’s nothing more they can do — and since the dispute is closed, I can’t submit anything else.

If anyone has dealt with something like this or knows how I can escalate (either with Chase, a regulator, or a government agency, maybe even in Israel), I’d really appreciate the advice. I’m running out of options and don’t want to let this go.

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

Sue chase in small claims court. Mail the dispute.

[WonderingYid]

The site I booked through is called Lucky2Go, also operating under the name ESKY. They are totally acting in bad faith — stay far away from them.

I’m also wondering, since these companies have a presence in the US, is there any way to take action against them?

If only there were signs…

[Emgee]

If only there were signs…

Unfortunately, I just booked through Google Flights and assumed it was legit. The mind-boggling part to me is that Chase is still refusing to refund me.

[chevron]

Most of these tracking sites (like Flightradar24) only give you 7 or 14 days of history unless you’ve got a subscription. If you need something older, just PM me — I’m happy to pull it and send you a PDF to save you the hassle.

For example, I checked April 2nd and saw all the private jets that departed TLV. (Whenever Admorim fly private, I’m always curious what kind of metal they’re flying on — and which company it was chartered through.)

- Embraer Legacy 650E 
- Gulfstream G280 
- Hawker 800 
- Beech King Air 350ER 

Basically, every single takeoff from TLV is tracked and publicly visible — private jets, cargo, even military flights (if their transponders are on). Tools like Flightradar24 and ADS-B Exchange pick up anything that starts taxiing. TLV is one of the most tightly monitored airports out there.

If one would ask, can a plane take off from TLV without showing up? The answer would be, not unless it’s an ultra-rare military exemption. If a plane doesn’t have its transponder on, it’s not even getting takeoff clearance — and even if it somehow did and went dark mid-air, the takeoff itself is still logged by ground radar.

The only time aircraft disappear from tracking is in shady ferry operations — like buying jets in Africa, re-registering them, and flying them into places like Iran while ghosting the transponder to evade sanctions. That’s black-market level shady. And not something you could pull off from TLV without serious consequences. Just look at examples like this one: [Iran sanctions evasion via Nigeria](https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/nigerian-airline-has-become-irans-partner-in-aviation-sanctions-evasion)

And here’s actual trace data for Flyyo’s two aircraft from April 2nd — both accounted for, neither of them flying TLV–ATH that day:

- YR-ADA (ICAO 4A0483): https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=4a0483&lat=31.993&lon=34.899&zoom=9.0&showTrace=2025-04-02&leg=1 
- YR-ADC (ICAO 4A0481): https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=4a0481&showTrace=2025-04-02&leg=1

Bottom line — if all the bizjets and turboprops that took off that day show up, and there’s no sign of Flyyo 4D2033, and their other aircraft was doing operations to Dublin, so it’s pretty obvious: the flight never happened.

What plans did the Gerrer Rebbe fly back to Israel on? From where?

[elazarb]

private. (Yoely Landaus)

[Emgee]

Sue chase in small claims court. Mail the dispute.

That would almost guarantee a shutdown from Chase. Honestly, my Chase points are worth at least 100 times more than what I lost on this flight. Not worth the risk to take them to small claims over this.

[Alexsei]

private. (Yoely Landaus)

How come no record here?

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=aaab1c

[Parker]

private. (Yoely Landaus)

How come no record here?

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=aaab1c

That way back was not his plane.

[Emgee]

Update: I finally received my refund from Chase. After submitting a detailed four-page letter and nearly 50 pages of supporting exhibits, Chase reversed the charge for the non-existent flight.

A special thank you to @Saulius for providing me with all the critical flight data from Flightradar24. Your help made all the difference.

Moral of the story: Don’t book through sketchy or lesser-known booking sites, no matter how tempting the deal looks. And don’t assume your credit card company will automatically have your back if things go wrong, especially with Chase. If you have any doubts about a purchase, consider using a different card.

I’ve attached the dispute letter I sent to Chase in case it’s helpful to anyone else facing a similar situation.

Thanks again to everyone who offered advice and support. Your input really made a difference.