Cairo: Muslim pilgrims preparing to perform the annual Hajj rites next month in Saudi Arabia have been warned of anonymous calls to avoid falling victims to fraudsters. The alarm was sounded by the Saudi Coordination Council for Establishments and Companies of Domestic Pilgrims’ Services.
The council urged pilgrims to check official websites and not to share their personal or data with others on receiving “dubious” contacts.
Saudi police have recently stepped up raids on fake Hajj offices and arrested one Saudi man and 27 illegal expatriates in the crackdown, Ajel newspaper has reported.
The suspects are accused of promoting bogus Hajj campaigns in Riyadh and the central region of Al Qassim, fleecing victims of money, it added.
Earlier this month, Saudi authorities warned against fake websites that claim to offer low-priced Hajj services and packages to Muslims residing in the kingdom.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said that applying for attending upcoming Hajj from inside the kingdom for Saudis and expatriates was available via the app Eatmarna and an official e-portal.
The ministry also urged Muslims inside the kingdom not to be misled by undocumented advertisements and to report such practices to authorities.
The ministry confirmed that an electronic portal it has designated for domestic pilgrims is the sole outlet for reserving Hajj services provided by licensed firms and establishments.
Saudi Arabia has said it will allow 1 million pilgrims from inside and outside the kingdom to perform this year’s Hajj, after restricting the annual ritual to some thousands of Muslims living inside the country for the last two years due to the pandemic.
About 2.5 million Muslims from around the world used to attend Hajj in Saudi Arabia every year before the pandemic.
