Dubai: A 10-member gang was arrested recently for allegedly conning people into believing they won lucrative pricing deals from etisalat, but with the condition that they send in phone credits to receive the prize.
The gang allegedly specialised in carrying out these crimes using different mobile phones and SIM cards, said Major Salah Juma Bu Osaiba, Director of Combating Economic Crimes Department of Dubai Police.
"We have said this more than once: There isn't any prize in the world or from etisalat whereby you win a cash prize provided you send them phone credits. What sort of a prize is it that stipulates such conditions?" Maj Bu Osaiba said.
The members used a deserted place in Al Hamriya to conduct their operation, he said.
Many alleged victims said that they received calls from "officials at etisalat" telling them up they had won cash prizes ranging from about Dh50,000 to Dh100,000.
An investigative team was set up to study the reports and carry out an undercover operation, said Maj Bu Osaiba. The 10 suspects were identified as M.S., M.Kh., M.A., M.N., O.M., M.Y., M.E., M.A., M.Sh., O.M.
They were allegedly found with eight Wasel SIM cards, a du SIM card, and two international SIM cards.
One of the methods they allegedly used to convince the suspects they were from etisalat was to claim to know the serial number printed on the SIM card, Maj Bu Osaiba said. The first digits of the serial numbers are common among etisalat users.
Many of the numbers used by the suspects were reported previously by victims to Dubai Police.
Four of the suspects were charged for allegedly entering the country illegally. The case was referred to the public prosecution for further investigations.
Etisalat had earlier released a statement cautioning its users, saying: "Etisalat promotions are well-advertised in the media and the winners are informed through a standardised process.
"In case of any confusion, customers should call 101 and verify the calls or SMS they have received," the statement added.
