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Major UAE bank warns of fraudsters posing as senior executives
Scammers use a lookalike email address or urgent tone to trick an employee into either transferring money into a bank account or buying gift cards
- PUBLISHED: Tue 20 Jan 2026, 5:41 PM
- By:
- Meher Dhanjal
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A major local bank has issued a warning urging residents to be aware of fraudsters.
Emirates NBD, in an advisory on Tuesday, asked its users to beware of 'executive impersonation scams'.
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In these scams, it is elaborated that fraudsters pose as senior leaders or executives. Scammers use a lookalike email address or an urgent tone to trick an employee into either transferring money into a bank account or buying gift cards from popular brands and sharing the codes.
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How it works
The victim could receive a text message or email from an address or number that impersonates someone in a senior position at their firm.
The message could say something like: "Hi, I’m in a meeting. Please urgently process this payment to a vendor. Details attached. I’ll explain later." A message like this creates a sense of urgency, which often causes a recipient to overlook minor details like the sender's address.
Or, instead of asking for a direct payment, they can ask for gift cards instead. The message could be framed like "Can you quickly buy gift cards worth Dh3,000 and send me the codes? It’s for a client.”
How to stay safe
There are some things you can do to stay safe.
- First, you need to pause and verify. Always double-check such requests via a trusted phone number or call.
- Ensure that you aren't acting on the message just because it seems urgent.
- Check email addresses, as they may be slightly altered or come from external accounts — like Gmail.
- Finally, make sure to report suspicious messages to the Fraud Prevention Team.
- Don’t transfer funds or purchase gift cards without proper approval.
- Don’t reply to or click on links in such messages.
- Don’t assume any request is genuine just because it appears to be from a known executive.
