New scam targets unsuspecting Qantas customers

There is a new scam that targets unsuspecting Qantas flyers.

If you receive an email with an image like the one above from a formresponse.com email then you are advised to immediately delete it and block the address.

Whatever you do make sure you do not click on the link, which will contain malware designed to redirect you to a URL aimed at stealing your information.

My wife received an authentic-looking email this morning, saying that: "Qantas has sent you a Gift Coupon. Use it today or whenever you like, it never expires!

"From: Qantas Gift Coupon. Value: 99.5 AUD.

"This gift coupon can be redeemed only once. Please do not share the link with others. Choose your preferred method for redeeming the coupon."

The dodgy email address was one clue; as was the fact that no name or frequent flyer number was used. The way the dollar sum was written also does not look like it was written by an Australian.

This gift coupon can be redeemed only once. Please do not share the link with others Choose your preferred method for redeeming the coupon.

Newsletter TravelWeekly.com.au reports that Qantas has warned against similar scams. 

“From time to time we are made aware of email scams and social media posts that claim to be authentic Qantas communications," the airline says on its website.

 

" These may ask customers to visit an external site and download a file or confirm customer details.

“We will never ask customers to click a link to download a file about bookings from a website, including our own. We send important documents that relate to your booking as Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files that you can download directly.”

Scammers aiming to pull a swifty on Swifties

Planning a trip to Sydney or Melbourne for a Taylor Swift concert?

In addition to being confronted by astronomical hotel prices and absurdly hiked airfares, fans are also being warned to take steps to check that tickets to her upcoming Eras Tour concerts being re-sold on social media are legitimate.

Consumer advocate organisation CHOICE has reported a surge in scam reports.

As the tour dates approach, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) Scamwatch say they have received 273 reports of people being scammed buying Swift tickets on social media, with over $135,000 lost so far.

Scammers are using hacked social media accounts to put up posts or send messages to friend lists that include a story about how they can no longer attend the concert and are wanting to sell their tickets at cost price.

These posts are sometimes posted in community groups or among friends and appear to be from a trusted source. After the ticket is paid for, the contact disappears and the ticket never arrives.

ACCC deputy chair Catrina Lowe says they are working with law enforcement to combat the scams, which she is concerned will only increase in frequency as the concerts draw closer.

"We are urging fans to be alert to scammers and think twice before seeking to buy a ticket on social media, even if it's from a friend or community page you trust," Lowe says.

"Be mindful that scammers have been hacking genuine accounts to appear legitimate and are tricking trusting friends or connections into buying Taylor Swift tickets that don't exist."

The ACCC and CHOICE have warned customers against purchasing tickets from re-selling websites that who sometimes mark-up tickets to concerts at illegally inflated prices and have also been susceptible to scam activity.

The ACCC says if you are considering buying re-sold tickets through social media (which they advise against), you should independently contact the friend who is selling the tickets via a different channel and check it is legitimate.

They warn that scammers will often create a sense of urgency, but you should not be rushed or pressured into a quick purchase. Where possible, use platforms like Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal rather than paying by bank transfer.

If you do fall victim to a scam, they urge you to contact your bank immediately, report it to Scamwatch, alert the platform you were scammed on and warn your friends and family.

CHOICE campaigns and policy advisor Yelena Nam says digital platforms need to do more to prevent scams and that the government should strengthen their proposed scam reforms to ensure there are new obligations on the companies.

"It's disappointing that well-resourced tech companies continue to fail to detect, prevent and respond to scams exploiting weaknesses in their platforms," she said.

"The government must urgently force digital platforms to comply with strong, mandatory obligations to protect people from harm.

"At a minimum, digital platforms should be required to detect and prevent user accounts from being hacked by scammers and quickly restore affected user accounts to their owners. If these companies had effective measures in place, scammers would have a much harder time targeting victims."

Here is a link to the CHOICE article: https://www.choice.com.au/shopping/everyday-shopping/tickets/articles/taylor-swift-scam-warning  

Sophisticated scammers find new ways to get your money

It seems to be a busy time of the year for scammers.

Just this morning my mobile phone pinged, announcing the arrival of yet another scam message designed to part me from my cash.

This one was ostensibly from Australia Post, although the poor grammar, Americanisms and strange address were a giveaway for anyone bar an idiot in a hurry.

It read: Australia - Post Center: Your parcel has not arrived, need timely verification, please click on https://aupost.dazifan.com or will be refunded!

And, of course there was a handy link for me to click on. No thanks. Blocked.

Then I was reading the morning paper to be alerted to another fraud: Australian Open Fans Targeted by Scammers Selling Fake Tickets

This one involves deceptive online websites that mimic official ticket distributors, using very similar URLs to dupe fans into buying counterfeit tickets or divulging personal information.

This week I have also received several emails from suspicious-looking email addresses seeking to confirm accommodation that has been "booked" with me.

They go along these lines: Greetings, I would like to book a Single Standard Room, for the dates from March 4, to March 8, 2024. Could you please confirm the current availability and share information on the pricing? Thanks.

You respond, as most decent people would, saying there has been an error and that you do not have accommodation.

But they persist: Hi! I've booked a room successfully, but my card hasn't been charged. Despite the confirmed reservation, I'm concerned about a potential cancellation. Could you check my details through the provided reservation page link? Your support is greatly appreciated!

How polite. But if you are silly enough to click on the link your computer will be uploaded with malware. 

Let's be careful out there people.

 

How to avoid being caught out by travel scams

Fraudsters and scammers are taking advantage of the huge post-pandemic eagerness to travel.

British consumer organisation Which? says it has discovered several new scams aimed at defrauding the unwary.

Tricksters are setting up bogus companies to sell imaginary flights and offering fake refunds to capture bank details and steal money, Which? warns.

It says the pandemic has provided multiple new opportunities for fraudsters to exploit victims.

Scammers are cold-calling travellers and impersonating airlines, travel agents and banks, claiming they need their bank details and personal information to process a refund.

But they are using the information they glean to steal money.

Which? says fraudsters have been taking detailed steps to appear to be the business they are imitating, including spoofing legitimate phone numbers and finding out booking details and exactly how much someone is owed.

Rogue travel companies are selling fake flights and others are promoting some of the most popular stays with scam adverts on social media, offering apparent late or peak-season availability for holidays that appear to be sold out elsewhere, Which? research found.

Customers are asked to click through to a website where they book and pay for a non-existent holiday.

Some unfortunate customers have not realised they have been defrauded until they turn up at the airport or or their accommodation.

The National Health Service in the UK has also been used by cybercriminals.

An email, containing a link to a website that looks like an official NHS platform, invites people to apply for a digital vaccine passport.

Which? says the email is in fact a phishing scam to steal personal information.

As fraudsters move swiftly to exploit new opportunities, Which? has called on online platforms, banks and telecoms companies to do more to ensure their systems aren’t being exploited to target victims.

Added essential travel paperwork which emerged from Covid and Brexit has also been used by unscrupulous companies to con people out of their money.

Which? has seen firms charging travellers as much as $150 (£75) for passenger locator forms, which can be obtained from the government for free.

When Which? carried out searches in November 2021, 19 non-governmental results were returned on the first two pages of Google alone - all charging a fee. Some appeared as an ad or ranked higher than the gov.uk site.

Similarly, some companies are charging fees for the GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card), which is free and was introduced to replace the EHIC after Brexit.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: “Criminals are exploiting the pandemic and the demand for holidays in a wide range of ways, laying new traps to trick unsuspecting travellers out of their money.

“Our advice for consumers is be wary of unsolicited calls and messages, and be cautious about holiday deals from unfamiliar firms.”

Which? recommended that online users should never click on links from unsolicited emails, and should check the ‘from’ address, contact information and copyright dates for signs of inconsistencies. Which applies equally in Australia and other jurisdictions. 

Winemakers and not-so-wily scammers

We are all familiar with the many scammers to be found in today's online environment - and the wine industry is a regular target for these chancers. 

A Victorian winemaker friend recently received an email that raved about his 2018 Pinot Noir, which had been sampled and enjoyed at a Melbourne restaurant. 

Nice. 

Except this person added: "I’m on a social network platform called TIKTOK and I’ve made a video talking about your wines and recommending this particular wine. I have given you a really good plug." 

And raved on: "I’ve put you on a social platform and given you a highly highly wonderful recommendation and are hoping that people will buy your wines."

This person claims to have 10,000 TikTok followers and then gets down to the nitty gritty:

"I’ve given free advertising to a market of 12,000 people worldwide - you can thank me by giving me a dozen bottles, I’m you’re [sic] advocate." 

Even worse, the scammer mentions the winemaker's former partner, who died several years ago. And does not, of course, include a link to the alleged TikTok review. 

There were a couple of giveaways in that the email was full of both spelling and grammatical errors. Bin. 

Many winemakers are also familiar with emails demanding replacement bottles for those that were "corked". 

One winemaker tells me a funny story. 

"There was an email I received in about 2006 complaining that they had a bottle of my wine that was corked. 

"I had stopped using corks a few vintages before the one they claimed was corked. They wanted me to send a replacement bottle to an address in NE Vic that was a vacant block. 

"I emailed a warning to friends who still used cork and found that the person had tried the same scam widely." 

It seems busy winemakers are seen as any easy target. Stay sharp people. 

And if anyone else has been a victim of these, or similar, scams, please drop me a line.