Abu Dhabi Police warn of Ramadan competition scam

Abu Dhabi Police are warning the public of a bogus Ramadan competition scam that requests users to send their bank details to claim a cash prize, before then unknowingly having funds transferred from their account.

In a post on Facebook the authority said: "Abu Dhabi police warned the public about Ramadan competitions with prizes and the victim is interrogated by winning this competition and requested his details and bank card to be sent the prize amount, confirming that their main goal is to steal and steal money in fraudulent ways, and also warned against the fake links to unofficial charities on social media sites."

Director of the Criminal Security Sector of Abu Dhabi Police, Major General Muhammad Sohail Al-Rashdi explained that the criminals have defrauded their victims after luring them to receive financial prizes from Ramadan competitions, stating that they were asking them to transfer credits to complete the procedures for receiving fake awards.

He emphasised the importance of verifying the authenticity of these sites, not disclosing confidential data, not indulging in blackmailing or sending any financial amounts under any direct threat, adhering to the terms of the parties concerned, and their warnings related to the fight against cybercrime.

Director of the Directorate of Investigations and Criminal Investigations, Colonel Rashid Khalid Al-Zahari, called on community members not to respond to announcements and anonymous messages circulated through social media sites and "chat" applications that divert religious sentiments and human sentiments to collect financial donations without permission.

"I urge all members of the community who want to do good and help those in need to deal with official authorized charities and organizations and according to the channels written by law, the public is urged to report them via the number 2626 800 or by short SMS containing the required security information to 2828 or by email at Abu Dhabi Police website." He said.