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28 March 2024

'Status' mobile numbers fraud uncovered

Published
By Staff

Distinguishing mobile phone numbers have become status symbols for many people in the UAE, opening them to the risk of getting swindled by fraudsters offering special numbers for money, according to a report in the Arabic daily newspaper ‘Al Bayan’.

In one such case, a fraudster of an Arab nationality was able to cheat a number of people before he was arrested by police in Abu Dhabi.

Police had received reports that someone was sending out SMS messages and placing ads on social networking web sites, saying he had distinguished phone numbers to sell at reasonable prices.

Investigations revealed that this person claimed to be working for a UAE telephone service provider and that he had a set of easy-to-remember numbers to sell at attractive prices.

Fraud victims said the accused used to ask them to send cash via a money exchange and he would assure buyers that he will send the SIM card through a sales office of the telephone service provider.

Victims said they discovered that the special numbers sold to them were already registered in other people’s names when they went to the sales office of the telephone service provider. They also found out the seller was not on the company’s staff.

Victims said they repeatedly tried to contact the accused but his phone had been switched off.

But an Abu Dhabi CID officer was able to contact the accused and sought to buy some of his special phone numbers.

The police officer asked the accused to receive the money personally and the accused agreed as the buyer wanted to buy many numbers in return of a large sum of money.

They agreed on the place of delivery of the money and the police arrested the accused red handed.

In another case, the Abu Dhabi Court sentenced a person working in one of the telecom providers to six months in prison followed by deportation after he was convicted of accepting bribes for facilitating access to distinguished numbers.

The public prosecutor also accused him of accessing the company’s electronic system and changing the data on mobile SIM cards and registering numbers in the names of people without following established procedures.