New mobile phone prize scam targets UAE residents

Dubai Police warned UAE telecom subscribers to beware of phone scam that involves fraudsters posing as etisalat and du employees who tell customers they have won massive cash prizes in a draw that was organised on the occasion of the UAE National Day.

A gang of swindlers have been duping users into rvealing their SIM card numbers and sending phone credits in return for promised prizes.

The general modus operandi is: The swindlers call random numbers and tell etisalat and du customers they have won half-a-million dirhams, laptops and video cameras in a company draw on the occasion of the UAE National Day.

The unsuspecting clients are then asked to give out personal details and match their SIM card number against a random number that the swindlers give them. Once the innocent clients give out their SIM card number, they receive a text message for the half-a-million-dirham winnings with a fake claim number.

The client, in some cases, is then approached to buy credit vouchers worth at least a couple of thousands of dirhams in order to receive their grand prize. The gang member calls again for the phone credit numbers.

In some cases, victims are even asked to spend more money on credit as an account opening fee.

Police officials said they began investigating the matter after receiving several complaints on their hotline and helplines over the holiday weekend.

A Dubai Police spokesman urged UAE mobile phone customers not respond to such calls. If they responded by mistake, residents are urged to report about such offers of false awards to CID (901) so that police officials can track the culprits and bring them to task.

Meanwhile, police probe is on to catch the gang involved in stealing credit from mobile phone customers.

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