Dubai: Mobile phone users in UAE are being targeted by a scam that has just resurfaced and started circulating in WhatsApp.
The fraudulent message claims to be from du and tells subscribers that they have been selected in a lucky draw and won Dh200,000.
Recipients are then asked to provide the serial number of their SIM card, a classic phishing trick that has already seen some UAE consumers scammed out of their hard-earned money.
This spyware steals WhatsApp chats, selfies
WhatsApp video, voice calls blocked again
In the latest scam, users are being told that they will get the promised cash once they have contacted the purported representative of du and shared their SIM card details.
“Dear valuable customer of du. My name is Abdullah Sheikh calling from du head office… You have won Dh200,000,” part of the message reads. “
The telecom provider confirmed that it has not circulated the message and that it does not have any promotion offering Dh200,000 in prize money.
Users who have received a similar message are advised to alert their provider’s customer service team or the authorities.
“We take incidents involving fraud very seriously. We would like to urge all our customers that in the event of any suspected or potential scam, they should either immediately get in touch with our customer care team or approach law enforcement authorities such as the Police,” du said in a statement sent to Gulf News.
In a similar scam that cropped up early this year, fraudsters pretended to be the organisers of Expo 2020, telling phone users that they have won a cash prize. In order to claim the reward, the supposed winners were asked to deposit a certain amount of cash and also share their SIM card’s serial number.
