Qantas warns passengers about a VERY believable scam where fraudsters steal credit card details from holidaymakers – here’s what to look out for
- Elaborate scams involved credit card details of customers plus fake websites
- Scammers were illegally posing as members from Qantas’ Refund Team
- The iconic Australian airline tweeted the warnings on Tuesday afternoon
Qantas has warned customers to keep their personal banking details secure after a complex scam was uncovered on Tuesday.
Australia’s longest serving airline urgently tweeted an update telling customers scammers were illegally posing as members of the Qantas Refund Team.
‘If you receive a call appearing to be from the Qantas Refund Team asking for your credit card details, please be aware this is a scam,’ the tweet read.
‘Do not provide any personal or financial details & do not respond to these calls.’
Thousands of passengers have had travel plans disrupted thanks to the international border closures, not to mention endless state border closures, because of the Covid pandemic.
It has left holidaymakers eagerly awaiting refunds on cancelled or changed flights, meaning the scam has plenty of potential victims.
The tweet (pictured above) from Qantas warning its customers about an online scam involving credit card details
Qantas also tweeted a warning about a number of fake websites offering cancellation refunds to customers (pictured above)
Qantas then sent out a second tweet to its customers after being made aware of a another scam involving fraudulent websites.
‘We are also aware of fake websites (claiming to be Qantas), listing ‘TOLL FREE’ 1800 numbers to call for your flight cancellation refunds,’ Qantas tweeted.
‘Do not call these numbers. These are not authentic Qantas websites or numbers.’
The scammers pretend to offer customers refunds on their disrupted flights, asking for credit card details so they can send the money back.
Qantas is now selling seats for international flights from July onwards this year, indicating that long-haul travel could be an option for Australians sooner than expected
The iconic Australian airline has opened up bookings to the coronavirus-riddled United Kingdom and the United States, as well as Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.
American and UK routes were previously off the cards until at least October.
The country has been shut off the from the rest of the world since March 20, when Scott Morrison closed the border to all but essential arrivals.
A Qantas spokesperson earlier told Executive Traveller that the airline hopes international travel to most destinations will resume by July 1.
‘We continue to review and update our international schedule in response to the developing COVID-19 situation,’ the spokesman said.
Qantas has warned its customers about two sophisticated scams involving credit card details and fake websites (stock image)
Qantas’ only regular international route currently is between New Zealand and Australia.
Long standing CEO Alan Joyce said long haul international flights would likely only be an option for people who had chosen to take the Covid vaccine.
‘But we are getting more and more confident about the opportunities and the potential for a vaccine in helping getting those operations up by potentially by the end of 2021,’ he said.