Yahoo Finance Urgent warning for Qantas, Telstra and Coles customers: ‘Very concerned’
Aussies have been told to delete or ignore these messages.
Aussies are being urged to watch out for new loyalty program scams, with Qantas Frequent Flyer, Telstra and Coles customers among those being targeted.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) National Anti-Scam Centre said there had been a spike in the scams, with 209 reports made to Scamwatch in the past four months.
Consumers will receive a text message or email claiming their loyalty points are expiring. This message will include a link to a fake website, which prompts the customer to login. Customers may also be prompted to provide their credit card details to use their loyalty points.
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Scammers will then steal the customers’ points, login details and personal information to use on other platforms and commit identity fraud.
ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe said the vast majority of reports were in relation to Qantas, Telstra and Coles loyalty programs, but any loyalty program could be used for the scam.
“The National Anti-Scam Centre has contacted the companies that have been impersonated by scammers and is working with web host providers to have the fake websites taken down, to minimise harm to the community,” Lowe said.
“We are very concerned that Australians experiencing cost-of-living pressures may be more susceptible to these scams. Scammers are deliberately panicking consumers by claiming their points are expiring soon.
“We urge people to immediately delete or ignore any message regarding a loyalty program that contains a link.”
Aussies have been told to never click on links included in the text messages and to access the loyalty program's app or website independently to check their points.
The ACCC also recommends people take their time before providing any personal information, ask themselves if the message could be fake and act quickly if something feels wrong. Aussies can contact the company mentioned in the message and report it to Scamwatch.
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