Muscat: Scammers in Oman are trying to dupe gullible residents, mostly expatriates in the country using a raffle scheme announced by a mobile phone service provider.
The scammers are targeting mostly mobile phone users with Nawras service. In a modus operandi that has surfaced for the first time in Oman, a customer is called on his mobile and informed that he has won a prize from Nawras.
The call is disconnected after the victim is asked to check the serial number on their SIM card, and only the first four digits are given. All phone numbers starting with a particular series contain the same first four digits.
Then the targeted victim is asked to call back. On the second call, the victims are asked for Civil Card number, bank details etc and asked to deposit money or transfer phone credit.
The scammers are mostly targeting lower-income group that uses pre-paid services. A cook with a reputed restaurant was targeted but the long time resident of Muscat did not fall for the bait.
"I was called by someone calling himself Jamshed from Nawras and told me, in Urdu, that I had won a prize, he gave me my SIM card serial number and disconnected,” Pranlal Joshi, who has lived in Oman for nearly two decades, told Gulf News.
Joshi did call back to confirm but the scammer disconnected. “I then went to Nawras outlet to inquire the truth behind the call as they had also announced a scheme for lucky draw,” said the elderly cook.
“I was told by Nawras staff that this was scam and to ignore it and they were getting at least four to five complaints of a similar nature,” he added.
A 28-year-old graphic designer was also targeted by an Urdu speaking person.
“I was asked to deposit 200 Omani riyals to claim by prize of 20,000 riyals,” Harvesh Modh, an Indian Graphic designer, told Gulf News.
He said that he had heard about the similar fraud tried in the UAE sometime back thus he recorded the entire conversation.
“From the accent of Urdu language the person seemed to be from Pakistan,” he suggested, adding that despite repeated attempt the alleged scammer did not give his name.
“Later his phone was not reachable,” he said, adding that his colleague advised him against approaching the police.
Julie Amann, a spokesperson for Nawras, said that the company at this stage would not like to make an official comment. However, the company has sent SMS’s to its subscribers warning them that fraudulent individuals were approaching customers, asking for credit or money transfer.
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) in the county has been issuing warning against telephone, Internet and mobile phone (SMS) frauds targeting Omani residents and urging them to be on their guard.
Meanwhile, the Royal Oman Police public relations department confirmed that they had received complaints in the recent past about mobile phone raffle prize fraud.
“We have held an Asian man in this connection on a complaint from a lady,” the spokesperson for the ROP told Gulf News, adding that some others were also held with the man and all of them had entered Oman illegally.
