Report to your bank first, then the regulator, then the police. The order matters, and speed decides whether the money can still be stopped.
What counts as bank fraud
An unauthorised transfer, a payment you were tricked into making, a stolen card, financing taken in your name, or messages that impersonate your bank in order to obtain your codes. Each case has a different route, so it matters that you say which one happened:
“Al Rajhi: your account needs a data update — confirm through this link.”
“Al Ahli: your account will be frozen unless you verify now.”
“A transfer left your account — call this number immediately.”
“You are eligible for financing — pay the processing fee first.”
The order that works
Call your bank first — the number printed on the back of your card or the one inside the bank's official app, never a number from a message. Ask plainly for the transaction to be stopped or the transfer recalled, ask for the card to be blocked, and ask for a written reference for your report. Then contact the regulator: in Saudi Arabia, financial fraud is reported to SAMA as well as to your bank. Then report the incident to the police or the national e-crime platform in your country.
Call your bank's fraud line — the number on the back of your card — and ask them to stop the transaction and block the card.
Ask for a written complaint reference, and note the name of the person you spoke to.
Report to the financial regulator where that applies — in Saudi Arabia this is SAMA, alongside your bank.
Report to the police or the national e-crime platform in your country (below).
Keep every message, receipt and screenshot, and write down a clear timeline of what happened.
A bank's name on a message does not make it from the bank
Bank names are used precisely because they are trusted — not because the bank sent anything. The bank is a victim of impersonation too, and its customers are the target. If a message asks you to click a link, to update your data or to read out a code, then it is not your bank, whatever name appears on it.
Have this ready before you call
Your account number, the date and amount of the transaction, the message or number that prompted it, and any reference numbers you already hold. A clear timeline makes the first call much faster — and the first call is the one that counts.
Beware the second fraud: “recovery” offers
After a loss, offers appear promising to recover your money for an upfront fee, sometimes claiming to be from the bank or the police. Nobody legitimate charges a fee to recover stolen money, and no bank or police body asks for a payment in order to handle your report.
Report it officially
🇦🇪 UAE
Dubai Police eCrime (ecrime.ae, 901) · Abu Dhabi Aman 8002626 · Ministry of Interior e-Crime · emergencies 999.
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
Ministry of Interior e-Crime platform · report financial fraud to your bank and SAMA · emergencies 911.
🇶🇦 Qatar
Q-CERT / NCSA [email protected] for cyber incidents · police 999 for fraud.
🇰🇼 Kuwait
CITRA Cyber Security [email protected] · Ministry of Interior cybercrime unit · emergency 112.
🇧🇭 Bahrain
National Cyber Security Center [email protected] · Ministry of Interior economic & electronic security · emergencies 999.
🇴🇲 Oman
OCERT [email protected] for cyber incidents · Royal Oman Police 9999.
