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UAE resident scammed out of Dh4,848 while ordering foods, toys

Dubai: Cyber frauds are becoming active during holidays in the UAE. A  Dubai resident has been become a victim of cyber fraud as he lost Dh4,848 while he ordered burgers, fries, soft drinks and merchandise toys from what he thought was an authentic website of a popular fast food chain.

Frank (name changed as requested) has ordered burgers, fries, soft drinks and merchandise toys from a firm and he thought the bill be at Dh37 because of the huge discount. But he has to pay  Dh4,848, and no food was delivered to his flat.

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‘On June 26, I clicked a pop-up ad from what I thought was from my favorite fastfood restaurant. The offer was 50% discount on purchases made that day, and – as a loyal customer – I took advantage of what I thought was a great offer. The promotion required me to make a payment of Dh37, which I did. I gave the OTP (one-time password) and soon I realised that I had been scammed. I received a message from my bank saying I made a transaction amounting to Dh4,848. The transaction went through. The money was clearly deducted from my bank account and no food was delivered to my house,” Frank despondently added.He continued: I reported the incident to the police and my bank. Cyber criminals have become more sophisticated. I fell victim to an online scam and I came out to share my experience so it will not happen again to anyone.’ Said Frank to a UAE dialy.

Earlier the  Dubai Police have warned  the public to be vigilant against fraudsters, especially during holidays.  The Police said to double check the URLs or web address, and most importantly not to follow links from unknown sources.

All must follow these for not to become a prey to cyber frauds:

Poor grammar

Misspelt words

An unknown number or ID that does not display the name of the authority

A link for payment

A message asking you to pay immediately.

Never share your OTP. Report dubious calls, scams and any online fraud to authorities. Call 901 (Dubai Police) or report to the nearest Smart Police Station (SPS) or via ‘e-crime’ and Dubai Police website or smart app.

 

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