MUSCAT, Oct 7 - Despite warnings, people continue to be conned by fraudsters claiming to represent banks or hypermarket chains. Most of the victims are illiterates and blue-collar workers, besides housewives. Devdutt Naik, a maintenance supervisor and an expat, was relieved of RO 2,507 by a caller posing as the representative of a retail outlet. Announcing that Naik had won RO 5,000 in a lucky draw, he asked for the bank account details for transferring the prize money. The call was answered by Naik’s wife, who shared her husband’s account number.
“On learning she had shared my account number with a stranger, I rushed to the ATM. To my shock, all the savings — RO 2,507 — that I had accumulated over years to send to my daughter for higher studies, were gone,” Naik told the Observer. He has filed a complaint at the Ruwi police station. Alertness saved another expat from meeting a similar fate. He received a call saying he had prize in a raffle and was asked to share his debit card number instead of the account number, which made him suspicious. He refused to do so.
The Royal Oman Police, banks and telecom companies have time and again warned both citizens and residents not to fall for such calls. “Please refrain from sharing your bank account details with strangers who claim to transfer millions of dollars to your account. The bank will, in no way, ask for account details,” said a message from a bank. “If you are a winner of a draw, the company, hypermarket or the organisation that conducted the raffle has its own ways of reaching you legally,” said a message aimed at educating the public.
KABEER YOUSUF
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