Qatar Airways issues fraud alert amid rise in regional scams

Airlines and authorities across the GCC have issued a series of fraud warnings as scammers exploit heightened regional tensions, with Qatar Airways among the latest to alert travel agents and customers.

The Doha-based carrier, whose flight operations remain temporarily suspended until 09:00 on 4 March due to the closure of Qatari airspace, issued a notice to agents after detecting fraudulent accounts posing as Qatar Airways representatives and attempting to obtain sensitive information.

The carrier said: “We are aware of fraudulent accounts impersonating Qatar Airways and requesting personal information.

“Qatar Airways will never ask for passwords, OTPs, banking details or other sensitive information via social media or direct messages.

The airline also encouraged the public to engage or interact only with its verified official channels: qatarairways.com or the Qatar Airways app.

The warning follows days of Iranian strikes on GCC countries, forcing widespread regional airspace closures and causing severe flight disruption at key Gulf hubs such as Dubai and Doha, with large numbers of holidaymakers stranded.

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Similar alerts have been issued by Saudi Arabia’s National Cybersecurity Authority, which has warned travellers to verify communications purportedly from airlines or travel agencies after detecting phishing emails promoting fake refunds and offers. Etihad Airways and Emirates have also reiterated that official communications are issued only through their verified channels, urging passengers and agents to ignore unsolicited messages offering upgrades, vouchers or refunds.

Beyond the travel sector, financial institutions have also reported an increase in fraudulent activity during periods of disruption, with UAE-based digital bank Wio issuing a reminder to customers to remain alert to impersonation attempts.

The bank noted: “We’re aware of fraudsters impersonating government authorities and asking people to share their Emirates ID details or other personal information,” adding that Wio will never request passwords, OTPs, PINs, Emirates ID or other sensitive data by call, SMS or email. “Government entities or official agencies don’t call to request personal verification details. If something doesn’t feel right, end the call and reach out to us.”

Authorities have also raised the alarm, with Dubai Police reporting a surge in cyber scams since the conflict began. Police said scammers are impersonating officials linked to “Dubai crisis management” to obtain UAE Pass and Emirates ID details, warning that they never request confidential data or verification codes by phone or message and urging residents to report fraud attempts via official channels.

For more information, visit qatarairways.com