Never share bank details over the phone, cops in UAE warn

UAE - Scammers are on the prowl again as another of batch of fraudulent ‘bank’ messages have circulated in recent weeks, the Abu Dhabi Police have warned. Message recipients are being told that they their bank cards would be blocked if they don’t update their personal information — this is a scam, the authorities reiterated.

The police said fraudsters send such messages, usually via SMS or WhatsApp, to dupe bank customers into sharing their personal data.

Once they get the information, they would access their victims’ bank account and steal their money.

Never share any personal information or banking data over the phone, the Abu Dhabi Police warned.

Authorities explained that the scammers’ messages usually say that ATM or credit cards will be blocked if one does not update their data. Then, they ask the person to contact a certain number to provide details.

Earlier this year, a bank fraud victim lost more than Dh130,000 to this scam, police had said.

The man said he received a call from a person claiming to be working for the UAE Central Bank and asked him to update his data. The victim provided the man with his bank details so he could update his account. But he later realised that Dh35,000 had been deducted from his account. Another transaction was made in which Dh98,000 was withdrawn.

“People are advised not to disclose personal information, bank account numbers or credit cards details to anyone over the phone,” said the police.

Banks do not require their customers to update their data over the phone, they added. If any information needs to be updated, this process is done at the bank and its branches.