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The ACCC’s Scamwatch is warning of a “spike” in reports of online scammers impersonating Qantas to steal money and personal information.
According to an email alert sent out by Scamwatch, scammers were masquerading as the Flying Kangaroo in emails and text messages that “create a sense of urgency to try and get you to act quickly without checking first”.
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“Scammers will use Qantas logos and branding to make the communication look real. The email or text message will urge you to click a link to either claim a refund, claim a gift, or redeem points that are about to expire,” the alert said.
“If you click this link you will be directed to a scam website designed to steal any information you enter.
“Qantas has been warning of these sorts of scams, which were first identified in August 2025, and encourages customers to be alert to continued scam activity. The airline does not contact customers to ask for their PINs, passwords, or one-time passwords in text messages or email.
“Anyone could be targeted by this scam. You do not need to be an existing Qantas customer or Qantas Frequent Flyer. However, people who know or suspect they have been involved in a data breach may be at greater risk of being targeted.”
On the Qantas support website, the airline also advised of a new “account protection security” scam identified this month.
“This latest scam urges customers to quickly provide account and financial details, often with the email subject ‘Avoid Service Interruption’. It aims to collect personal information and payment card data,” the website noted.
Qantas has seen increased reports of impersonation scams since its data breach in July 2025, which reportedly involved cyber criminals using AI to impersonate a Qantas employee and then tricking a customer service operator in Manila into divulging crucial information.
Around 5.7 million customers were affected, with data stolen including names, email addresses, and Frequent Flyer numbers.
“Through the NSW Supreme Court, we have an ongoing injunction in place to prevent the stolen data being accessed, viewed, released, used, transmitted or published by anyone, including third parties,” Qantas said in an October update.
“We have also put in place additional security measures, increased training across our teams and strengthened system monitoring and detection since the incident occurred.
“In July, Qantas proactively advised all impacted customers of the types of their personal data that was contained in the impacted system and this has not changed.”
More than 150 gigabytes of customer data were reportedly dumped on the dark web by the group behind the hack, Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters, in October.
