Security

With online crime on the rise, there’s never been a more important time to protect yourself against fraud and identity theft. Velocity Frequent Flyer is committed to ensuring the ongoing security of our members’ accounts.

What is fraud and how does it affect you?

Types of fraud that may affect our members - Hoax or Phising emails

These emails are typically sent to a large numbers of individuals, though not necessarily members of Velocity or customers of Virgin Australia. They may appear to be legitimately from the company they claim to represent and will typically direct recipients to click on a link where they are directed to enter personal account information. Any information entered will be captured and can be used in identity theft and unauthorised account access and activity.

How to identify Phishing emails:

The email does not address you by name

There may be multiple variations of your email address in the To: or Cc: fields

Your email address may not appear in the To: or Cc: fields
The From: and Reply To: email addresses may be different
The link provided in the email is not secure. The official Velocity website starts with https:// - the ‘s’ flags our URL as secure. Any link starting with http:// is not the official Velocity website. Do not click on the link.
If you have clicked on a link provided in an email, check to see that a padlock symbol displays next to the URL at the top left hand side of the browser window. If it does not display, the site is not secure and may be fraudulent
If you are unsure, always open a new browser and proceed to the official Velocity website www.velocityfrequentflyer.com) by typing the address into your newly opened browser tab

Hoax of Phishing SMS:

Scammers may attempt to obtain personal information by sending baiting text messages to your mobile device. The SMS may prompt you to access a URL or telephone number that will ask you to “confirm” personal information.

Avoid accessing links within text messages, especially if you are unsure of the source
Don’t respond directly to messages that request personal information. If you want to verify with the company the message appears to be from, exit the message and call them directly.
Be wary of messages that urge you to act quickly or sound threatening.

Hoax of Phishing phone calls:

Scammers may operate by phone to try and convince victims to divulge personal information. They may offer prizes or special offers in order as bait.

How to identify Phishing calls:

The caller does not properly identify themselves, the company they are representing and the reason for the call. If you are unsure, ask the caller to provide these details
The caller may ask you to divulge personal information beyond a normal verification check
The caller may ask you to provide payment details in order to process the ‘prize’ or ‘special offer’
You can ask any Virgin Australia or Velocity team member for their name, and extension number to return their call. They should provide you with one of the following numbers to return the call:

Virgin Australia Guest Contact Centre: 136 789
Velocity Membership Contact Centre: 131 875
Virgin Australia Reception: 07 3295 3000

Computer Viruses and Spyware

Viruses and Spyware may be downloaded onto your computer without your knowledge. This may happen after clicking a link, downloading infected software, opening e-mail attachments from an unverified sources or through other means.

Velocity recommends using some form of antivirus and spyware protection to detect and remove existing viruses on your computer and to protect your computer and sensitive information in the future

What to do if you're a victim:

If you suspect that you’ve been targeted by a phishing scam or have detected unusual activity on your account that may be the result of fraud, immediately follow these steps:

Log onto your membership account through the Velocity Frequent Flyer official website https://experience.velocityfrequentflyer.com by typing the address into your web browser. You’ll know you’re on the secure site when a padlock symbol appears next to the URL at the top left hand side of the browser window and the address starts with https://
Update your Password and Security Question. You can update these details by selecting My Details and scrolling down to the Security Information section. If you are locked out of your account, contact Velocity Frequent Flyer for assistance.
Consider updating password and other details on other personal accounts, not specific to Velocity, that may be affected.
Contact Velocity Frequent Flyer and report the incident. One of our agents will be able to assist with securing your account and investigating any unusual activity. If you are able to forward any suspicious emails for our reference, please do so. This information will assist us in fighting online fraud. Once you’ve done this, immediately delete the email
If you have security software installed on your computer, run a scan to check for malware that may have been downloaded inadvertently.

Tips on keeping your account secure:

Password

Having a secure password is your first line of defence against hackers attempting to access your personal accounts. When creating an account, please ensure your password has:

At least 8 characters
One uppercase letter
One digit or special character

Hardcopy information

To ensure third parties cannot access personal details from forms of hardcopy information such as bills, Velocity recommends being mindful of the following:

Update your mailing address and other contact details on your account as soon as practicable after any changes. This ensures that personal information found in statements and bills is not sent to an old address and therefore accessible to opportunistic third parties.
Dispose of all hardcopies of personal information thoughtfully. This includes bills, expired identification, credit cards and boarding passes.
Be mindful of when a membership card is due to arrive. Contact the provider if it does not arrive within the expected time frame.

Computer and Internet security

Velocity strongly recommends members install and regularly update security software on their computers. This software can help protect against viruses, spam and spyware.
Run regular virus checks on your computer
Only access the official Velocity website, which is a secure site. You know you’re on the official, secure site when you can see a padlock symbol next to the URL on the top left hand side of the browser window. Also, the URL should start with https:// rather than http:// - the ‘s’ signifies that it is a secure site.
Keep personal details listed on online social accounts to a minimum and ensure that your privacy settings are restricted to direct connections.