Beware: Qantas 1800 Number Phone Scam

Update: since publishing, Qantas has responded with the following statement:

• Qantas reported this issue with the ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) and the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission).
• Qantas has also updated the Scam Assistance page to notify customers of this particular issue and provided additional advice on best overseas contact. You can find that page here.
• Qantas has taken action and the fraudulent number has now been deactivated.

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Picture this: You’re in the US, about to catch a flight back to Australia onboard the flying kangaroo, but then the dreaded text message arrives:

“Important: Unfortunately, your flight QF12 from Los Angeles at 23:45 on Wed 14 Aug has been cancelled. We are finding you a new flight and will send you an SMS shortly with your new flight details and other options, including a refund. Sorry for the inconvenience. For immediate assistance, call 1800 227 4500.”

When you’re Paul Stewart, a popular Australian Aviation YouTuber, you don’t hesitate and click the hyperlinked number in the text to call, wanting to get the best possible outcome from this situation.

The phone rings and is answered promptly—a rarity for Qantas. Perhaps it’s Paul’s lucky day?

The person on the other end introduces themselves as a Qantas representative and asks for your PNR (Passenger Name Record) and flight details. Since the text came from an official Qantas number, you trust them and provide your information.

The “Qantas” employee tells you they can rebook your flight, but there will be a fee of US$450. Annoyed but desperate, you hand over your credit card details, thinking you’ll sort it out later.

A while after hanging up, you start to wonder—why did I just pay US$450? Nevertheless, you receive confirmation from Qantas that you’ve been rebooked to Australia.

Meanwhile, the scammers are US$450 richer.

What’s Going On With Qantas 1800 227 4500?

If this can happen to Paul Stewart, an aviation expert who is well travelled and versed in scams, imagine how many Qantas customers might be falling victim to this ruse.

Here’s what I believe is happening.

First, let’s talk about the 1800 number. Qantas sends this as a default to customers departing the USA, but if you’re in the US using an Australian SIM card, your phone may automatically route the call via Australia and dial the corresponding Australian number. This means that in reality, you’re being connected to 1800 227 450, with the last “0” of the US number dropped, since Australian numbers typically have 10 digits, that’s a completely different number and obviously not related to Qantas in any way!

It appears that some Australian SIM cards or phones may automatically add the +61 country code (Australia) instead of +1 (the US) which causes the issue in my opinion.

A clever scammer has figured this out and purchased the Australian number that is one “0” in in difference to the USA 1800 number, which means Qantas is unintentionally directing some of its Australian customers to the scammers! It’s wild, but that seems to be what’s happening.

To further remove any confusion, when you call (+1)1800 227 4500 you speak to Qantas, when you call (+61)1800 227 450 you speak to the scammer.

Who’s Behind This Scam?

After doing some digging, it seems that the company involved in this scam might be registered in the UAE. Public records indicate that a company named EMT Group LLC, which has been registered since 2022, may be connected. Their merchant facilities are with Tap Payments, a major online payment processor in the UAE.

However, it is important to note that the appearance of this company’s name on a credit card charge does not conclusively prove their involvement, as it is possible that someone else could be impersonating the business.

Additionally, upon analysing the Australian 1800 number, it appears to be registered to an individual named Zameer Altaf Sofi, who is reportedly an Indian national residing in Dubai. He has held this number since 10/03/2021.

A Google search led to a social media profile matching this name. While this does not necessarily indicate that this individual is involved in the scam, an interesting detail emerged: a particular video was posted on both the EMT Group’s and this individual’s social media pages. This raises questions about a possible connection, although it’s crucial to emphasise that this is speculative and not a definitive assertion of involvement.

Of course we can’t be 100% certain that this person and business page are connected so I’ve blurred out some information for privacy reasons. (pictured above on the left is the EMT page and on the right is the personal page of Zameer)

Summing Up – Qantas Rebooking Scam

It’s hard to say for sure how long this scam has been running, but it would be nice for Qantas to take some responsibility and, at a minimum, ensure the correct country code is included with the numbers they send out so that callers always reach the intended call centre.

We’ve reached out to Qantas for comment and will update this post when we receive a response.

Ps. Paul, being quick on his feet, called the scammers back and simply told them that the flight change should have been free and asked to get the $450 fee refunded, which they obliged. This suggests that the scam may rely heavily on the traveller being unaware of what’s happening during the process, as too many credit card chargebacks could result in the scammer’s merchant account being suspended. In their version of events, they might claim that a service was legitimately provided and the traveller might believe that the charge is indeed legitimate.