Muscat: The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has warned of the fraud SMSes impersonating the banks primarily.
These SMS woos the beneficiary to click on malicious links impersonating the websites of the banks to steal the amount from his or her account.
TRA has directed all beneficiaries not to interact and report immediately to the impersonated bank.
Fraudulent messages and calls have taken various forms and the number of fraud victims has increased.
Bank customers and other online customers must be made aware of the current fraud methods to warn against them, and identify the challenges facing telecom licensees as a result of this phenomenon, TRA said.
To avoid falling victim to fraudulent activities, some precautious steps need to be taken such as avoiding responding to messages from suspicious or unknown senders; avoiding transferring funds to unknown personnel or accounts; being wary of offers that require upfront fees or personal information; being careful of urgent requests, intimidations and threats; and most importantly, block and report the sender on WhatsApp if found suspicious.
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