Abu Dhabi: Police on Tuesday released footage of how 24 male suspects involved in phone scams were recently arrested at their rented house.
On its social networking sites, Abu Dhabi Police said that in collaboration with Ajman's department of criminal investigation, the Asian scammers were tracked down after making a number of fraudulent phone calls that targeted members of the public.
“The con artists managed to scam residents by promising them fake cash prizes,” said Brigadier Omran Ahmad Al Mazroui, director of CID at Abu Dhabi Police.
“The suspects asked victims to transfer telephone recharge cards as charges for processing the cash prizes they have won,” he added.
Gulf News previously reported that the scammers were arrested last February and were trained by their employers on how to cheat people with fake calls through bogus raffles.
The two gangs of 24 men were also given commissions on the basis of the number of people they cheated through such phone calls.
The members of the first gang were taking a percentage of the defrauding operations while members of the second gang were getting a salary of Dh1,200 per month with incentives.
Protect yourself from becoming a victim
How to deal with electronic scams:
- Never interact with strange numbers
- Always maintain the confidentiality of personal financial information
- Immediately inform security services after receiving a suspicious telephone call
- Take extra caution when handling unknown telephone messages and calls
- Always verify the source
Residents are urged to call police immediately if they receive dubious messages on their mobile phones, and can contact Abu Dhabi Police’s toll-free number on 8002626, or send an SMS to 2828.
