Mobile phone users in Qatar have been advised not to answer calls from unregistered numbers to avoid being duped by scammers from foreign countries.
Local Arabic daily Arrayah reported that a number of citizens and residents have complained of receiving random missed calls from unregistered numbers.
The “missed call” is part of a modus operandi to lure unsuspecting mobile phone owners to return the call. Once the unregistered number is dialled and received by the scammer, $30 will be withdrawn from the caller’s account, according to the Arrayah report.
“The returned call can also allow the scammer to hack into the caller’s personal information such as bank accounts, credit card statements and other private information by using data stored in the mobile phone number,” it said.
Tips to avoid being victimised by the scam and other forms of electronic theft are now trending in social media websites.
Concerned citizens and residents also stressed that the scam is not only limited via online transactions but also through the use of mobile phones.
Most of the reported numbers start with 00371, 00375, or 00221, according to the report. Numbers starting with 00375 are country codes used in Belarus while 00371 can be traced to Latvia and 00221 to Senegal.
A way to avoid being victimised by scammers is to block an unregistered number using the mobile phone’s features or by reporting it to telecommunications companies for monitoring.
