Abu Dhabi Police warn residents against online scams, phishing
Cyber criminals try to gain confidential information to access bank accounts, funds
Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Police have once again warned residents to remain vigilant against phishing and cyber fraud, following a spate of online fraud reports in the emirate.
Many of the recernt incidents involve phishing links sent via text message that appear to originate from official sources. A few others also appear to provide access to services, or promise rewards for responders.
These methods are used by cybercriminals to gain confidential financial and individual information, which are then used to steal funds, the Police said.
In a social media post, authorities warned against sharing any kind of sensitive information, including card and bank account numbers, Internet banking passwords, ATM personal identification numbers, card security numbers, and also one-time passwords.
Recent scam attempt
One resident speaking to Gulf News said he had this week received a scam call that appeared to be from the police.
“I had been expecting an online transfer of funds into my account. So when I received the call, I almost thought it was genuine. The caller said the funds being transferred appeared to originate from a suspicious source, and that my account would be flagged and blocked,” the long-time Asian resident said.
The caller then asked the called how much he had in his account.
“This felt like a red flag to me, as the caller should have this information with me if he was actually calling from the police, I thought. So I refused to cooperate, and hung up,” the resident said.
Be vigilant
The Abu Dhabi Police has said that certain criminals can gain access to bank accounts by simply having people open up a text message.
The force called upon residents to report any such attempts to the Police as soon as possible, and to avoid windfalls and rewards that sound too good to be true.
How to report scams
Help the community and police enhance the efforts to confront these fraudulent methods and protect society. Residents can report scams by contacting the Abu Dhabi Police’s Aman service:
Call: 8002626
Text message: 2828
Email: aman@adpolice.gov.ae.
Help the community and police enhance the efforts to confront these fraudulent methods and protect society.