It wasn’t me. I immediately canceled the flights and called Alaska. The good news: the activity had already been flagged as fraud, and because I caught it quickly, my miles were redeposited right away.

The more important part came after that.

The customer service rep told me “this happens a lot”

So I spent some time asking the Alaska customer service team how this keeps happening and what travelers can actually do right now to protect themselves.

Here’s what I learned — and what Alaska specifically recommends doing.

How to Protect Your Alaska Mileage Plan Account

Call Alaska and put a lock on your account.

This adds a security PIN to your profile. Any time you want to make a booking, the account has to be temporarily unlocked by an Alaska agent, and they’ll require that PIN. It’s not automatic, but it’s effective. You can do this via phone, or by contacting them through social media channels.

Turn on email notifications immediately.

Make sure your account is set to notify you any time miles are redeemed or account changes are made. This is exactly how I caught the fraud early enough to reverse it.

Change your passwords.

Update both your Alaska account password and the email address tied to it. If someone has access to your email, they effectively have access to your miles.

Don’t assume points are “safe.”

Miles are currency. And right now, loyalty accounts are being targeted more than ever.

What Alaska Is (and Isn’t) Doing

Alaska confirmed they’re actively working on two-factor authentication, which is long overdue. Unfortunately, it’s not live yet.

Until it is, account security is largely on us.

They also confirmed that the names used on fraudulent bookings are passed to fraud prevention teams, but realistically, there’s limited action that can be taken after the fact on their end. Prevention matters far more than cleanup.

The Bottom Line

If you collect Alaska miles, especially if you have a meaningful balance, take five minutes and lock your account.

This wasn’t a glitch. It wasn’t a one-off. And according to Alaska, it’s becoming increasingly common.

Miles are valuable. Treat them like money.

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