Know how to spot a scam

Scammers are using increasingly sophisticated methods to fool unaware customers.

ABU DHABI // Scam calls in the UAE tend to involve a caller, often promising cash prizes, trying to illegally obtain bank account information and other important personal details, such as account passwords.

Scammers are trying many different kinds of attacks on telephone users, experts say.

Simcard scams can involve the caller providing an eight-digit code. If it matches, then you are the lucky winner and may fall into the scam, said Payas Gupta, post-doctoral fellow at NYUAD.

“I have received some calls as well and they sound very convincing,” he said.

Another common method worldwide is tech-support scams, where callers claim to be tech-support agents and say they have detected a problem with the computer. They then may try to get remote access of the computer or get the person to pay for software.

Sharing personal information via telephone or email should be avoided if possible, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has said.

Service providers Etisalat and du both say their efforts against scam calls consist mostly of raising awareness.

“We have always advised our customers to beware of fraudulent phone calls or scams through various communication channels, including regular SMS,” a spokesman for du said. “Customers should not share bank details, recharge card numbers or personal information as part of any false promise from callers pretending to be du representatives.”