Oman residents warned against foreign calls

Muscat : Oman's telecom regulatory authority has issued a fresh warning regarding hoax calls, SMSs and e-mails sent to residents tempting them with prizes.

A similar warning was issued in June last year when residents started getting a spate of international calls from numbers starting with 00221, which is the international code for Senegal.

The caller would then hang up before the call was received, registering a missed call on the person's mobile phone.

"These missed calls have resurfaced," the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) warned people and advised them not to respond to suspicious international 'missed calls' or for that matter SMSs and e-mails.

An Omani government employee, who preferred not to be named, even sought official permission to go ahead with an e-mail invite that said that he had been selected to win a cash prize.

"That e-mail came from the UK and a big telephone brand's name was used in it," he told Gulf News.

"I filled in initial forms in response to that e-mail but was warned by a colleague when I was asked to deposit a small amount to initiate the claim and I was saved," he added.

An airline employee also said that he had received a missed call from a number from Senegal.

"As a rule I never respond to any unknown international missed calls so I didn't respond to a 'missed call' I received recently from a number from Senegal," Yousuf Al Raisi, Oman Air's Marketing Executive, told Gulf News on Sunday.

He added that he heard from his friends about this kind of fraudulent operation.

"Most of these e-mails, calls or SMSs used to come from African countries in the past but of late they have been originating from Europe as well as some of the Far Eastern countries," said an Indian businessman, who did not want to be identified.

The text messages (SMS), "missed calls" and e-mails made and sent by mysterious individuals and companies target unsuspecting subscribers in Oman and tempt them to call back to claim prizes.

Stressing that it is a hoax, the TRA has called on residents not to respond to such messages and telephone calls.

"To avoid being defrauded, subscribers are advised not to disclose, in any way, their personal or financial information," says a release from the TRA.

The telecom regulatory authority advises people not to call back when they receive missed calls, which most say are made late at night.

Spiritual powers

"The party at the other end claims to have spiritual powers to heal people's suffering and also evil magical powers," the TRA statement said.

They also demand money from callers for this favour. "These are hoax calls, aimed at defrauding people," the TRA said.