16 people arrested for electronic fraud as police bust fake prize network
Many of us may have experienced something like this in the past — A call on your mobile phone’s social media apps, from an unknown number, saying you have won a huge amount and asking for personal banking details in order to ‘claim the prize.’
While most people will immediately smell something fishy, a few others have fallen for it and lost money from their banks.
Qatar’s cybersecurity agencies, who have been fighting the menace, recently made a huge breakthrough when they busted a ‘fake prize’ gang and arrested 16 accomplices, reported Gulf Times.
The men, all of them belonging to an Asian country, embezzled large amounts of money from a number of victims, according to the Ministry of Interior (MoI).
The fraudsters’ modus operandi was to get access to personal banking details and then using the information to transfer money from the victim’s account to their own ones, reported The Peninsula.
The anonymous caller would claim to be from the telecom company and ask the customer to verify the SIM card serial number. After confirming this, the caller would congratulate the customer (victim) on his/her win and ask him/her to provide some personal information in order to receive the prize. These included a picture of the customer’s ID card.
Based on the information provided by the customers and by using a method known as social engineering, the gang members would fraudulently withdraw money from the victims’ bank accounts after resetting their account login information on the mobile banking app.
The security services seized large sums of money from the fraudsters, which had all been fleeced from a number of victims. The Qatar Central Bank, along with a number of local banks and telecommunications companies, aided the authorities in the men’s arrest, reported Qatar Tribune..
Capt Engineer Mudawi Saeed Al Qahtani, head of the Department of Economic and Cybercrimes Department, said that while some of the accused were arrested while withdrawing money, others were nabbed from their accommodations.
Besides documents and receipts of financial transfers, a large number of mobile phones were also recovered from their possession.
Meanwhile, a container was found with freshly burned papers, which showed that the gang would promptly destroy any evidence of the crime.
Capt Al Qahtani said it was found that the criminal gang was being run by a person outside the country, from where he sent members of the criminal network and managed their movements.
Lakshan SJ: I get so many such calls with most of them having their origins in West African countries but did I mention the name of the countries from where they originate.The fact is that there are people here in Qatar who are very quick to point fingers at Pakistan at even the most minor things that may have taken place there and while doing so, simply overlook the very sad things taking place in their own countries. I do not wish to mention them.
Crooks and criminals abound in all countries of the world and neither my country nor yours is different from the others. Please don't jump and post something negative whenever you get to hear the name Pakistan. Pakistan has many positive sides provided you are willing to accept them. That may require some courage on your part.
Yes, I am agree with @robindias because with their ascent we can make it out Secondly i receive this type of call 2 years back..Good Job All officers..Making Qatar crime free country..Even same type of call was face while I was working in Dubai..From their ascent comes to know from African countries. This is just to make aware..
Yes, I am agree with @robindias because with their ascent we can make it out Secondly i receive this type of call 2 years back..Good Job All officers..Making Qatar crime free country..Even same type of call was face while I was working in Dubai..From their ascent comes to know from African countries. This is just to make aware..
acchabaccha: i also got a call from pakistan +92 303 7001181. if you watch scam callers on youtube, they get triggered and say stuff
safiuddin: bro i dont remember fully; but when one of my colleagues got a similar call about the sim card serial number, we called qtel and they told us either that the full serial number or a part of it would be the same for any qtel sim card, but im not sure. The serial number isn't what uniquely identifies a particular sim card i think.."i think" :-)
Great job Qatar's cybercrime agency!
robindias007: How could you be so sure the calls were from "pakistani guys?" From the picture posted by QLCrime, do you recognize the people to be from Pakistan? I can't. Secondly, how can someone give you bad words when you do not accept the calls as you have stated in your post?
Possibly, you are among those people who are born to hate Pakistan. There is another QLer and who will soon be jumping in to describe all Pakistanis as "terrorists." You will see the post shortly.
Salute to Qatar Police, I was getting too many calls form Urdu/Hindi speaking guys and when don't response their instructions they abuse.
few days back i was contacted in IMO with +880 1778528553 and they have all the authentic logo of ooredo , they told to send my id card . Then i refused and immediately called my mobile provider and reported. But i was wondering how they got our serial number behind the sim. Any how thanks whole heartedly to the Qatar cyber security for the wonderful job in tracing these criminals.
Great work by the Qatar’s cyber security agency, In Sha Allah wish they will nab the main culprit and he is given the highest punishment.
Frequently we are receiving calls through whtsap/Imo/direct lines ..its all calls we received from pakistani guys, even if we not response they used to give bad words. this is my personal experience .Well done Officers..