Did you receive a call from someone recently asking you to ‘update banking information’? Chances are he is now behind bars. The Dubai Police have arrested 494 individuals involved in 406 phone fraud cases targeting bank customers over the past year.
The fraudsters used phone calls, emails, SMS, and social media links to trick victims and access their savings and bank accounts. The police said they have seized “significant amounts of money”, mobile phones, laptops, and SIM cards used to execute these scams.
Brigadier Harib Al Shamsi, acting director of the General Department for Criminal Investigation, urged residents to never reveal their banking details or credit card information to anyone claiming to be from a financial institution. A common tactic that fraudsters use is telling victims that their bank accounts would be frozen unless they update the details.
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“Banks never seek information updates via the phone. Customers are advised to update their details directly through the banks’ branches, official customer service representatives, or authenticated banking applications,” the officer said.
Residents who fall for these scams have been urged to report it to the police immediately.