Dubai: Dubai police have once again warned residents against fake callers and anonymous people who try different tricks to extort money.
“Do not fall preay to fake calls and annoymous people,” tweeted Dubai Police. The best way to avoid any scam is not to answer unknown numbers and even if you do, disconnect the call immediatley if you find it fishy.
Last month, Dubai Police had also wanred residents againt ‘fake’ celebrities’ as some scammers use the name of celebrities to raise funds for humanitarian projects.
Police also warned residents to protect themselves from scammers online who are out to steal their identity or empty their bank account.
Police have repeatedly issued advisories telling consumers to refrain from sharing details of their bank account or forwarding funds online to people they don’t know.
Internet users should are also ensure their personal data is protected while using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social networking platforms.
“Never send money or share your bank details to online strangers. Protect yourself and data while using social networking sites. Protect yourself against social media scams,” the Dubai Police said in an earlier alet.
Digital platforms have made it easier for users worldwide to communicate and spread information. But the price of online convenience is that people are becoming increasingly exposed to scammers.
In what is now popularly known as phishing, fraudsters gain control of a person’s bank account by tricking internet users into sending their personal information. They may also convince them into forwarding some money by pretending to be from a legitimate company, government office or retailer.
In order to ensure your personal details don’t land in the wrong hands, here are a few tips: 1
Don’t answer unknown callers. It is recommended to avoid unknown calls and entertain any unknown service provider that tries to sell services to you. Moreover, if you are really inclined towards their services, ensure you perform online research to know reputation of the company.
How to deal with scammers as advised by wikihow online:
1-Don’t answer unknown callers. It is recommended to avoid unknown calls and entertain any unknown service provider that tries to sell services to you.
2-Don’t get into deal with wired money. Many scammers ask clients to wire money; it is impossible to reverse cash when using wired money given. If a seller keeps on insisting you to wire transfer for making payments, do not act unless you are sure about the authenticity of the deal.
3-Never reply to messages asking you for financial/personal information. No matter, whether you are receiving messages in the forms of text, email, advertisement, or phone call; you need not to share your financial or personal information with the unknown message senders. This is called ‘phishing.’ Eventually, these crooks try to trick you for stealing sensitive information.
4-Don’t fall for lottery scams. These scams involve sending a message about winning a lottery, and all you have to do is pay “custom duties” or another kind of “fee”. You have not won the lottery, and you are giving away your personal information.
5-Hang up on robocalls. Robocalls are illegal if the company calling you has not done business with you in the past month. Do not press any buttons to speak with an operator, or any buttons to be removed from any list. This could result in more robocalls.
6-Get a call blocking app. These apps are able to block and automatically block the unwanted phone numbers from ever reaching your phone, even if you later switch to a different phone. While not all apps are perfect, they should prevent you from getting most unwanted calls.
Depending on your carrier, you may have to pay for call blocking. You may also have to pay to get more premium features (such as revealing phone numbers of unknown callers).
7-Do not confirm or deny your identity until you know who is calling. Legitimate calls will indicate who they are and where they are from.
8-Decide how to proceed depending on your comfort level after getting the information. After the caller has identified themselves, you have the option to (A) acknowledge yourself, (B) gather more information about the caller without identifying yourself, or (C) just hang up.
9-Check the legitimacy of any agency, organization or company calling you cold by doing a quick online search while on the phone.
Ask for the caller’s name and company (including phone number and contact address) and reason for calling you. If this is not provided to you within 10 seconds, hang up. Chances are, it’s a scam.
10- Type the address or phone number into Google. The first result had better be them. If it’s a real company, then they will happily give you their contact information. If you can’t search while talking at the same time, ask the caller to hold on for a minute for a personal matter, but use the time to check out the company on the internet.
11-If it doesn’t exist, immediately be suspicious. You could also look for feedback about the company or type of call. Government sites aimed at revealing scams may be helpful here too.
12-Do not disclose personal information or passwords. Do not confirm computer usage, ownership of anything in your house or account numbers. Once again, it is nobody’s business and the fact callers are asking for this sort of information should immediately alert you to the possibility of a scammer.
13--If you have identified yourself and greeted the caller but the caller fails to acknowledge this and speak instantly in a conversation, but asks to speak with you, suspect that they are transferring you between sales teams or the like and are not someone who knows you.
14-Ask what the caller wants early in the call. Your time is precious but so is the fact that the more hot air the caller exudes, the more likely it is that they’re trying to lull you into buying their stardust. If the information they provide is not specific, then hang up. It’s a scam.
15-Never use affirmative until you know that the call is legit. Your affirmation may be recorded and used for fraudulent purchases.
16-Record the call. You will be amazed at the number of cold calls that hang up on you when you ask these basic questions. Ask for basic information, such as who is calling or the address. If
17-Do not go to fake websites following the prompts of cold call. If you do, chances are that you’re downloading a virus, allowing access to your computer or giving away precious personal information that they’ll do unspeakable and ruinous things with. Just do not do it.
16-Be strong and put safety first. You get all sorts of phone calls. Friends, family, business associates, scams, and fraudulent callers. Just asking basic questions and verifying caller information can easily stop you from making a big mistake.
