Sunday 26 / October / 2025
Muscat: The Royal Oman Police (ROP), represented by the General Directorate of Criminal Investigations, revealed that cyber fraud crimes in the Sultanate of Oman increased by 50 percent during the first half of 2025, compared to the same period last year.
This is due to the rapid development of technology, electronic payment systems, and the widespread use of digital platforms.
Brigadier Jamal Habib Al Quraishi, Director General of Inquiries and Criminal Investigations at the Royal Oman Police, told the Oman News Agency that this increase is due to the accelerating pace of development in technology and electronic payment systems that have facilitated daily life for individuals and communities.
This has been directly accompanied by an increase in the criminal methods that fraudsters are constantly devising to trap their victims using advanced technologies, specifically methods based on artificial intelligence (AI) and deep forgery, he said.
He pointed out that cybercriminals have become more adept at disguising themselves as genuine and manipulating the feelings and trust of victims in order to steal their data and seize their money.
He added that the most prevalent fraudulent methods in recent times have been fake commercial advertisements promoted through online marketplaces and e-commerce platforms.
Victims are deceived by fake offers of products or services at prices significantly lower than the actual market price, he said, adding they are then lured into paying sums of money under the guise of a "deposit" or the full price, after which the advertiser disappears completely.
He explained that one of the most prominent new methods of fraud that the Directorate General of Inquiries and Criminal Investigation and Research has monitored the use of deep fake technologies through some video communication programmes, and the use of images and video clips that mimic real people (government employees), whose identities are impersonated and used to push victims into disclosing their personal and banking information, which can then be exploited to seize their money.
He emphasised that these technical methods contribute to the creation of a sophisticated fraudulent environment in which it is difficult to distinguish between truth and deception.
He explained that the administration had also detected a number of recurring fraudulent methods, such as promoting fake ads on social media platforms that mimicked real platforms offering domestic worker recruitment services at attractive prices.
It also detected several fake ads for renting buildings, apartments, and rest houses, through which down payments were siphoned off.
He pointed out that one of the popular methods that has been widely used recently is designing websites similar to official websites that are uploaded to search engines so that they appear at the top of the search engine list, which gives them a kind of credibility. Through these websites, victims are pushed to reveal their personal and banking information to complete their transactions.
Upon paying the fees and entering the (OTP) number that arrives to the victims’ phone via text messages, the amounts available in their bank accounts are immediately withdrawn. After that, this money is camouflaged and hidden in a series of transfers through a network of bank accounts and digital currency trading platforms in preparation for transferring it outside the Sultanate of Oman in a process that only takes a short period of time.
He added that this criminal method often coincides with another method, which is fraud through job duties. Fraudsters who manage their operations from outside the Sultanate of Oman create a network of bank accounts that are later used to camouflage and hide funds resulting from previous fraudulent operations.
These accounts are then promoted through social media programmes for job offers under the title (financial advisor, financial agent). Those who interact with them are asked to open a bank account to be able to perform their job duties, which include receiving funds and re-sending them to other bank accounts, withdrawing them and transferring them through exchange offices, or entering them into the digital currency market to purchase currencies and transfer them to the fraudsters’ wallets. Then, the bank account holder is surprised to find himself in the circle of legal accountability as a result of his participation in receiving and re-sending funds of unknown origin resulting from criminal operations.
He stressed that the Directorate General of Inquiries and Criminal Investigation is committed to efficiently carrying out its responsibilities by tracking down fake websites designed to ensnare victims and shutting them down immediately in coordination with the relevant authorities.
It also coordinates continuously with telecommunications companies and local banks to freeze bank accounts and block phone numbers used in fraudulent operations, which are often operated from outside the Sultanate of Oman.
He explained that preventive efforts also include ongoing awareness programs aimed at raising awareness among citizens and residents. Modern criminal methods are monitored and analyzed, and appropriate awareness content is prepared and disseminated across the Royal Oman Police's platforms. Introductory lectures are also delivered in schools, universities, and public and private institutions, in addition to participation in national events to spread the culture of digital caution.
Brigadier Jamal Habib Al Quraishi, Director General of Inquiries and Criminal Investigations at the Royal Oman Police, urged members of the public to exercise caution when dealing with online advertisements, avoid sharing banking or personal data with any untrusted party, activate two-factor authentication on online accounts, and refrain from using the primary bank card for online purchases, instead using dedicated cards with specific amounts.
He stressed the importance of not responding to suspicious calls claiming to be from government or banking institutions and requesting sensitive information, emphasizing that these institutions do not ask their customers to provide such information over the phone or online.
He concluded his statement by pointing out that if citizens or residents are subjected to any fraud attempt, they must immediately report to the bank to freeze the bank account, and go to the nearest police station to file an official report, or call the toll-free number (80077444) of the General Department of Criminal Investigations and Research, while retaining all relevant conversations or evidence.
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