Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

TEN arrested for making fraud calls

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A 10-member gang was arrested on telephone fraud charges in Barka in Al Batinah South Governorate on Tuesday, said a senior Royal Oman Police (ROP) official. The modus operandi of the gang, whose members are Asian nationals, was to call people saying they have won a cash award from a mobile service provider. They would ask for the bank account details and defraud them by illegally withdrawing money from their accounts. Sometimes, the gang would also insist on money being paid in advance for redeeming the cash prize.


One of the gang members had called a broadcaster at a private radio channel for the purpose of cheating and threatened him with his life. The caller said the broadcaster had won RO 20,000.


Many citizens and residents have fallen for this trick and lost money.


Acting on complaints, the Directorate-General of Inquiries and Criminal Investigations, in coordination with the Al Batinah North Governorate Police Command, caught the accused in an apartment.


Some mobile phones, SIM cards and slips of paper that had account numbers of some victims, were seized from them.


The ROP handed the accused to the Public Prosecution for further investigation.


“I keep getting SMSes saying I could be the next winner of monthly or weekly prizes. I have always ignored these messages,” said a resident of Muscat.


“Once I went to a telecom company office with these messages. They said they would look into the matter. I’m not sure what action has been taken by them.” Meanwhile, the ROP has urged people to report suspicious activity immediately on free emergency No. 9999 or approach the nearest police station. It also warned them against answering fraud calls, giving out bank details or transferring funds to unknown people.


— By Ali Al Kasbi


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