Lufthansa warns of fake 'Lufthansa staff' accounts on X after @ClaireDanerjzu pushed a Gmail support address
Lufthansa's verified X account warned that fake 'Lufthansa staff' accounts are replying to customers, after @ClaireDanerjzu pointed a traveller to the Gmail address lufthansasupportdesk9@gmail.com, which is not a Lufthansa channel.
- First reported
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Source: x.com · published
What happened
On 17 October 2026 the official, verified Lufthansa account on X (@lufthansa) posted a warning in reply to the account @ClaireDanerjzu. Minutes earlier, that account had answered a traveller's public complaint to the airline, writing "I contacted them through the email below" and pointing to the Gmail address lufthansasupportdesk9@gmail.com, adding "Please reach out to them for assistance with your concern."
Lufthansa's reply says: "Warning! Please watch out for fake accounts that appear to be Lufthansa/Lufthansa staff wanting to help you. Always check that the reply is from an official Lufthansa account." It links to Lufthansa's list of official accounts (ti.lh.com/9eMB) and adds that, "contrary to claims by fake user profiles", Lufthansa does not offer support via WhatsApp. The Gmail address is not a Lufthansa channel, and Lufthansa is the impersonated brand, not the source of the message.
How the scam works
The pattern Lufthansa describes targets people who complain to an airline in public. Accounts posing as Lufthansa staff, or as fellow passengers who say they were helped, reply within minutes and steer the traveller away from the airline's official channels to a free email address or a WhatsApp number. Because the reply arrives while the traveller is still frustrated about a delay, a lost bag or a refund, a quick offer of "assistance" can seem welcome.
Once a traveller moves off the official channels, they are dealing with an unknown party who has no access to their booking. A genuine airline reply comes from the airline's own verified account and directs customers to its own website, app or published contact details, never to a Gmail address. Lufthansa's warning also rules out WhatsApp support outright, so any 'Lufthansa' contact offering help there is fake.
Note: the warning does not say what the fake helpers then ask for; this section is limited to what Lufthansa's post shows.
Source
Lufthansa (@lufthansa) on X, reply of 17 October 2026.
Red flags
- A reply to your public complaint from an account that isn't on Lufthansa's list of official accounts.
- A 'support' email address on Gmail or another free email service.
- An offer of help over WhatsApp, which Lufthansa says it doesn't provide.
- A stranger saying they 'contacted them through the email below'.
If you were targeted
- 1Don't email or message the address or account; check the sender against Lufthansa's official account list.
- 2Contact Lufthansa only through its own website, app or the contact details published there.
- 3Don't share booking references, passport details, card numbers or one-time codes with anyone who contacts you first.
- 4If you already shared payment details, call your bank; if you shared booking details, contact Lufthansa through official channels.
- 5Report the impersonating account to X.