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🚨 Report a Scam 🌐
⏱️ Scammed or unsure? 60-second plan
1 · Protect money

Call your bank's fraud line now — the number on the back of your card. Freeze the card and ask them to reverse any payments.

2 · Keep evidence

Screenshot texts, emails, caller numbers and payment screens. Change passwords and turn on 2-step verification.

3 · Report it

Report through your country's official channel — see the report page.

📌 More help: Report → · Help & support
🇸🇦

Saudi Arabia Scam Alerts & Reporting

Protection for citizens and residents across the Kingdom. See what's active now, spot the red flags, and report through official channels.

🚨 Report officially
📢 OFFICIAL REPORTING
Ministry of Interior e-Crime platform · Report financial fraud to your bank and SAMA · Emergency 911
✅ Official — from the official site: www.moi.gov.sa · www.absher.sa · www.nusuk.sa
📡 Reported this week
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Top scams in Saudi Arabia right now

Based on current reporting from GASA, Group-IB and national authorities.

OTP / bank phishing

Fake SMS claiming your account is frozen, with a link to harvest your OTP. Banks never ask for the code by SMS or link.

🚩 Sender is not your bank's official short code; link asks for OTP, PIN or card details; threats about account closure.
'Your account is frozen — confirm your OTP now' from a number that is not your bank's short code.
Fake traffic fines & ministry fees

Texts about unpaid fines that look official — the amount is small so people pay without checking. Verify in official apps.

🚩 The fine is not listed in Absher or Tawakkalna; payment page is not an official domain; pressure to pay before a deadline.
'Your fine has increased — pay now' with a link that is not an official .sa domain.
Crypto & investment Ponzi

WhatsApp groups and deepfake promos promising 30–50% monthly returns. No licensed platform guarantees profits.

🚩 Guaranteed returns (no licensed product offers them); deposits to personal accounts; referral bonuses; pressure to act fast.
A WhatsApp group with 'verified' profit screenshots and a deepfake video of a Saudi celebrity endorsing the platform.
Visa & job fraud for expats

Fake agents charge for work visas, free-zone licences or residency help, then vanish. Verify licences with official bodies.

🚩 The agent only works on WhatsApp; passport copy and money requested before any official contract; no verifiable licence number.
'Guaranteed work visa — pay the fee now, quota closing' via WhatsApp.
Telecom impersonation (STC / Mobily / Zain)

'Reward points expiring' or 'line suspended' links steal credentials. Telecoms never send payment links by SMS.

🚩 Short link is not on the carrier's official domain; asks for login, password or OTP; threat of line suspension or points loss.
'Your reward points expire today — claim them here' from an unknown sender.
Hajj & Umrah digital fraud

Fake agents sell pilgrimage packages, permits and 'priority' visas on WhatsApp, Telegram and social media; cloned booking sites harvest card details; texts pretend to be the Ministry or Nusuk to steal OTPs.

🚩 Booking or payment outside Nusuk (nusuk.sa / hajj.nusuk.sa); 'priority visa' or 'guaranteed permit' promises; deposit to a personal account; a cloned site copying Nusuk's design that is not a .sa domain.
'Hajj package with permit — only 5 slots left' on WhatsApp or Telegram, with a deposit requested to a personal account.
🕋

Hajj & Umrah — use only official channels

Per the latest guidance of the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah

Hajj packages, visas, permits and payments are handled ONLY through the official Nusuk platform (nusuk.sa / hajj.nusuk.sa) and the Nusuk app. No third-party agent, WhatsApp offer or social-media advert can book Hajj for you. Anyone selling a package, permit or “priority visa” outside Nusuk is a fraudster.

✅ How official booking works — before you pay
  1. Choose an approved package on Nusuk (nusuk.sa / hajj.nusuk.sa / umrah.nusuk.sa) — packages, permits, visas and prices are published there.
  2. Verify your identity inside the official platform and pay inside it. That is the whole transaction — there is no “side payment”.
  3. Umrah permits and the digital Nusuk Card are issued inside the Nusuk app (and Tawakkalna for domestic pilgrims).
  4. If a seller asks you to finish the booking “outside the system” — on WhatsApp, Telegram, a personal bank account or crypto — stop. That is the scam signal.
⚠️ Where the fakes slip in
  • Fake travel agents posting “exclusive Hajj packages” on WhatsApp, Telegram, TikTok and Instagram.
  • Cloned Nusuk-style websites — a wrong domain, low-quality logo, or a payment form that is not on an official .sa address.
  • Official-looking SMS: “Your permit is expiring — click to pay” or “Your Umrah package is blocked.”
  • Ads promising big discounts, guaranteed Ramadan slots, or extra-fast visas.
  • Invoices that look legitimate, then ask for a “separate deposit” by bank transfer or crypto.
🚩 Red-flag checklist — stop if any apply
  • “Only a few permits left — pay a deposit right now.” (Real bookings do not use countdown pressure.)
  • Payment is requested outside the official Nusuk environment — to a person, not the platform.
  • You are asked to send your passport, card or OTP by WhatsApp or email.
  • The website domain is not an official Saudi .sa address (nusuk.sa, hajj.nusuk.sa, umrah.nusuk.sa, haj.gov.sa).
  • The agent cannot name the licensed operator or show a Nusuk package reference.
  • Anyone promises a “guaranteed” visa, permit or slot “through connections”. Nobody can.
📲 Do it only in the official pilgrimage app
  • Download Nusuk only from the official app stores; check the developer name and the nusuk.sa domain.
  • Umrah permits and the digital Nusuk Card appear inside the app — never pay a third party to “arrange” them.
  • Official Saudi government sites end in .sa — treat any other domain as fake.
  • The Ministry, Nusuk and your bank never ask for your OTP, PIN or passwords by call, SMS or WhatsApp.
🌐 nusuk.sa — official platform 📱 Nusuk app — App Store 📱 Nusuk app — Google Play 🚨 Report a pilgrimage scam
If you booked through an unofficial agent or paid a deposit outside Nusuk, contact your bank immediately and report via the Ministry of Interior e-Crime platform (and to the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah).
🛟 Been scammed? First hour checklist
  1. Freeze your cards immediately — call your bank's 24/7 hotline.
  2. Tell the bank's fraud team you have been scammed.
  3. Report via the official channel above — get a case reference.
  4. Save every message, screenshot and transaction ID as evidence.
📱 See what real scam messages look like
Real examples, red flags and next steps — see the real scam message gallery →
🛡️ Verify before you trust
Bank calls
Your bank (and SAMA) will never ask for your OTP or password by phone, SMS or WhatsApp. Hang up and call the number on your card or in your bank's official app.
Verify on official platforms
Check businesses on Maroof (Ministry of Commerce), official documents via Absher, investment complaints through CMA, and report cybercrime via the Ministry of Interior e-Crime platform. Government fees are never collected through SMS links.