Alert: Dh8,000 ‘prize’ for Dubai’s Emirates airline ‘anniversary’ is a scam

Dubai: Residents have been cautioned not to participate in a fake promotion in the name of Emirates airline offering a Dh8,000 cash prize.

The online scam, titled ‘Emirates 37th Anniversary Transportation Subsidy’, asks users to fill out a ‘questionnaire’ on Emirates to win the money, including if they know about the airline and their opinion about it. Participants are also asked about their age and gender.

After ‘verifying’ the answers, the user is greeted with a message inviting them to play a game to win prizes as a reward for their responses in the questionnaire. Three chances are given to click on boxes to see what ‘gift’ is inside. Invariably on the second or third attempt, the user ‘wins’ Dh8,000. He or she has to forward the promotion to others and complete ‘registration’, including their mobile number, to claim the cash prize.

An OTP (one-time password) is sent to the mobile to confirm a subscription to a gaming service for Dh3.25 per day.

An Emirates spokesperson on Tuesday confirmed to Gulf News that the promotion circulating online is not part of any authorised content from the airline.

“Emirates is aware that there are online competitions circulating regarding cash giveaways. This is not an official competition and we advise caution. All Emirates authorised content is hosted on our official channels, including our social media accounts marked with a blue tick,” the spokesperson stated.

The scam has been previously seen using different occasions supposedly related to Emirates.