There’s all kinds of fraud in the miles & points world, as there’s a big underground industry of bartering rewards. While we hear about cases of rewards being stolen all the time, here’s an unusual twist on that, whereby someone managed to get someone else’s rewards credited to their frequent flyer account. I’m not sure what exactly to make of this, so I’d love to hear what others think.
As I rarely used AA in the past, I quickly glossed over what the agent said, assuming they had meant “an American airline,” so I logged into my AS account. I found no points there. Then, I reread the message and tried logging into my AA account, and discovered it was locked. It turns out the account was locked since 2022, because someone tried to log in. I never used AA, so I must have missed the email notification and didn’t report the fraud then. However, I also managed to retrieve my AA number.
I reached out to CX to confirm if the agent meant AS or AA, and she said AA, American Airlines. I then confirmed if it was my AA number which I provided to review and they said no, it was credited to [different account number]. I then entered that number into AA’s password reset area and used my name, since they would’ve needed my name to credit the miles. Sure enough, it was associated with a different email address using a bizarre domain. I also did a WHOIS search, which showed that the domain was registered in Beijing last year.
I then called AA and they said it’s bizarre and they’ve never seen a case like this before and they will open a case with Fraud. Fraud then said they need to unlock my account first before they can move onto the next investigation.
What is also surprising is that I listed my CX FFP numbers before and during check-in, my boarding passes reflect this, and the return journeys were nearly three weeks long. I’m not sure how they could have modified the FFP details after flying. The agent at CX was also really not helpful and dismissive about potential fraud and compromised data on their end.
Just in case that isn’t clear (or if you just want the summary), let me simplify it as much as possible. This person had their Cathay Pacific frequent flyer on a reservation, but the flight never credited to the account (which he only found out about later, while “auditing” his accounts). He was informed that the flight was credited to American AAdvantage, which he never requested, and on top of that, it wasn’t the number he uses with the program.
I’m curious if anyone has any theories as to what could explain all of this. Most frequent flyer program fraud is repeated, so I imagine this isn’t a one time thing. I still don’t understand exactly how this could happen, though.
Bottom line
A traveler booked a Cathay Pacific business class ticket and intended to credit the flight to Cathay Pacific, only to find that the flight never posted. He later discovered that the flight was credited to American AAdvantage, but not even to his account (which he never provided), but instead, to an account registered to a @qmdfcd.com domain. Presumably that account was still made in his name, or else the flight wouldn’t have credited.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on One Mile at a Time.
