Abu Dhabi: Fraudsters are targeting generous UAE residents and businesses by pretending to be charities or prize-giving bodies and swindling them out of cash, the UAE's Central Bank warned yesterday.
In a notice, the bank warned anyone donating money to charity or responding to notices that they may have won lotteries or prizes to ensure that the body is registered and licensed. "You may be enticed through seemingly attractive prize money of the fraudulent lottery schemes and fall prey to identity theft," the bank's Anti-Money Laundering and Suspicious Cases Unit (AMLSCU) said.
It added that UAE nationals, expatriates and businesses should "exercise utmost care and caution while dealing with charitable institutions."
"While the UAE provides great investment opportunities, be wary of entities which are not licensed and registered by competent authorities in the UAE in order to avoid being deceived by such entities," the notice said, warning people not to share private information with anyone who contact them, whether by phone, SMS, e-mail or in person.
The AMLSCU said the public should ensure donations are only made to charitable organisations licensed and registered by the UAE Ministry of Social Affairs or by the respective local government authorities.
