How Sharjah Police is saving bank customers from frauds

Sharjah - The public urged not to disclose personal and bank account information to anonymous callers.

The Sharjah Police in the Eastern Region have launched an awareness campaign, entitled “Be alert...don’t be deceived”, for bank customers to prevent them from disclosing personal and account information to anonymous callers.

The drive has been launched following a rise in complaints lodged at police stations after customers fell prey to telephonic frauds, where scammers obtained classified information, hacked into bank accounts, and defrauded them of their life savings.

The campaign has been launched in tandem with the UAE Central Bank (UAECB) and other banks in the country.

The move seeks to further enhance security awareness among the public about the ingenious methods of telephonic frauds.

The Sharjah Police’s strategy is in line with the objectives of the Ministry of Interior that aims to further enhance public safety and security in the country.

Dr. Colonel Ali Al Kai Al Hamoudi, the Director of the Eastern Region Police Department, Sharjah Police, said that efforts have been intensified to curb financial frauds and urged the public to be on alert against such unlawful activities.

He cited that scammers have been on the prowl and targeting unsuspecting customers.

He said that the methodology of fraud has undergone a sea change because of the rapid explosion of digital technology and the awareness campaign among the public is being further increased to prevent such fraudulent activities.

He stressed the importance of keeping anonymous callers at an arm’s length and also maintaining confidentiality regarding personal financial information.

He urged the public to inform the police immediately upon receiving suspicious incoming phone calls and anonymous messages.

Dr. Colonel Ali Al Kai Al Hamoudi, maintained that the awareness campaign --- in Arabic and English languages -- has gathered momentum, as the police are distributing pamphlets, leaflets and also aggressively taking to social media platforms to educate bank customers about not to fall prey to fraudsters’ trap.

He called upon the people to cooperate with the police by calling on the emergency number (999) if they come across any telephonic fraud.

afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

• Sharjah