Conmen in Oman continue to target phone subscribers

Muscat: Despite repeated warnings, phone subscribers continue to be the target of conmen, and some of them, lured by the possibility of getting a lot of money, fall prey to the scam.
The public has been warned against these fraudsters, who often claim that they are from Ooredoo and “congratulate” the subscriber for having won OMR20,000.
An Omani national who received such a call played along with the conman.
“He called me claiming that he was from Ooredoo, and said that I had won OMR20,000. But I knew it was a scam, so I just played along with him,” he said.
“He said they had deals with local banks and that the money would be transferred to my account once I gave him my identification number and bank account number. I jokingly told him that OMR20,000 was too little, and that I wanted OMR50,000.
“The conman then said he would transfer OMR50,000 if I gave him my ID and bank account,” the Omani national explained, and added that the call originated from a personal number and not an office or Ooredoo number. Ooredoo has advised its subscribers to be wary of
such calls.
“Never entertain calls from people you don’t know who tell you that you have won something, even when you have not entered a competition or a draw. Ooredoo does not give away cash prizes, and if you do win something from Ooredoo you are always welcome to visit any Ooredoo Store or call a Customer Champion to confirm its validity,” Ooredoo said in a posting on its website.
“The fraudsters may call and claim that they are representatives of Ooredoo and then ask you for your personal details. Please remember that Ooredoo already has your personal details and would never ask for it over the phone. If we need to verify your details, we will do it through a face-to-face meeting,” Ooredoo said, and added that it never sought bank details from
customers.
However, Ooredoo said, as this is “not specifically a telecom fraud” it cannot directly help subscribers,but can only increase awareness on the issue. It also advised victims to send a complaint to the Public Prosecution.