A woman received a series of mysterious text messages that made her concerned for her safety. They came from someone who worked for the airline and took her number off of a bag tag, according to multiple reports.
What happened: Ashley Barno boarded a flight at San Diego International Airport. She was en route to Chicago. She received a message, saying hello.
- The text read: “Btw I must tell you that you are gorgeous!”
- She thanked him. She asked who he was. How did he get her number? Why was he texting her?
- Barno (via NBC 7): “The whole time I kept asking him, ‘Who are you? How do you know who I am? How’d you get my info?’”
His responses were:
- “You guess!!”
- “I just saw you at the airport again!”
- “You are looking very gorgeous in grey top today!!”
So what really happened: The events happened in April. More than 100 texts were sent at the time, according to The Washington Post.
- Now, a lawsuit against the airline and the employee alleges negligent hiring, sexual harassment and stalking.
- “The interaction has left Barno reeling more than eight months later, nervous when she travels and sometimes fearful she’s being watched, her attorney, Joseph Samo, said in an interview,” according to The Washington Post.
- Barno learned that the texter — who became identified as “Ahmad” — got her address, name and cellphone number from the luggage tag on her carry-on bag, according to NBC 7. She said she thinks he was sitting next to her and copied the information of the baggage tag.
Response: American Airlines told The Washington Post that the employee no longer works with the airline.
- The company said (via The Independent): “American Airlines takes the privacy and safety of our customers seriously,” they added. “We investigated the allegations and took appropriate action. The employee involved in the complaint is no longer employed at American Airlines.”
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Resolution: Barno said people should be more vigilant about protecting the information on their luggage tag, according to NBC 7.