Warning: You have not won a prize ... it’s a scam; money exchange in UAE warns customers against scam messages
Customers received SMS and phone about winning major cash prizes
Dubai: Al Ansari Exchange, a leading UAE-based foreign exchange and worldwide money transfer company, has warned its customers against fraudulen tphone calls, SMS or messages claiming they have won cash prizes in their promotions.
Urging people to be wary of such scams, Al Ansari Exchange said they communicate with customers only through their official phone numbers.
The warning comes after several Al Ansari Exchange customers received bogus messages saying they have won cash prizes.
“The impostors would promise large cash prizes and ask for personal and bank account information, which can then be used to steal money. The scammers would also ask their victims not to inform anyone about the details of their winning on the pretext of maintaining confidentiality and privacy.
"Others would also ask their targets to send money to a certain address before they could claim the cash prize,” the exchange house said in a statement on Wednesday.
Mohammad Bitar, deputy general manager, Al Ansar Exchange, said they were fully committed to combat fraudulent activities — done via messages or phone calls — by implementing public awareness drives to inform and educate customers about how to effectively handle such situations, “We urge them not to respond to these scams and report them immediately to authorities,” said Bitar.
The company said neither does it ask customers to disclose their personal details not does it seek any fee against prizes.
It said customers can check the list of winners on their website. Alternatively, they could call the customer service or visit an Al Ansari Exchange branch.
In recent days, several banks including the UAE Central Bank have issued similar warnings.
HOW TO CHECK
When in doubt, customers can check the list of winners by visiting the nearest Al Ansari Exchange branch, calling customer service at 600546000, or checking the website www.alansariexchange.com and its official social network channels.