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.

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

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

Bank OTP & SIM-swap scams

Fake SMS and calls claim your bank account is blocked, a renewal fee is due, or suspicious activity was detected. The message pushes you to call a 'bank security' number or click a link; either way you are asked to confirm your one-time password (OTP). The moment you share it, money drains to a mule account — usually within seconds, before the bank can act. In SIM-swap variants the fraudster convinces your telecom provider to port your number to a new SIM, intercepts the OTP and empties your accounts and wallets without you ever seeing the code. Reported as the top scam vector across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait.

Fake traffic fines & government fees

Fraudsters impersonate official bodies — police, traffic departments, immigration or the labour ministry — via SMS or email claiming unpaid fines or urgent renewal fees, then send you to a fake payment portal that copies the look of the real one. The message carries official-style logos and your name (from breached data), and the amount is small enough that people pay without thinking. After you enter card details on the fake portal, the fraudster uses them for larger purchases or sells them. In workplace versions, employees receive an email from a fake 'HR or PRO' address telling them their labour card or visa renewal is blocked and fees must be paid within hours.

Telecom company scams (Etisalat / du / STC / Zain / Ooredoo)

Texts claim your telecom account is suspended, your reward points are expiring, or you are owed a refund — with a link to a fake payment or login page that harvests credentials. The pages copy the operator's real portal and often work on mobile browsers where the address bar is hidden. Fake 'recharge' apps that steal login details also circulate in GCC app stores and via WhatsApp. Once the fraudster has your telecom login, they can port your number (SIM swap), spend on your plan, or use the account as proof of identity for more fraud.

Online shopping & Instagram store fraud

Fake stores and Instagram/Facebook/TikTok shops advertise high-discount items — electronics, designer goods, perfumes — take upfront payment by bank transfer or card, then the goods never arrive, the page is deleted and the seller's account disappears. Many 'stores' have existed for only weeks, repost stolen photos from real retailers, and refuse payment on delivery or through escrow. Shopping scams were the most common type reported in the UAE, affecting 70% of victims (GASA 2026). Some sellers send a fake tracking number and then ask for an extra 'customs or delivery fee' to keep the illusion going.

Investment & crypto Ponzi schemes

Fake trading platforms promoted on social media, YouTube and Telegram show fake profits and allow a small first withdrawal to build trust, then block withdrawals once you deposit a larger amount. Group-IB warns deepfake videos of celebrities and WhatsApp groups are spreading this across the GCC, promising 30–50% monthly returns that no legitimate investment can deliver. Victims are often moved to private Telegram groups with fake 'account managers' and screenshots of other people's earnings, and pressured to 'top up' to release their balance. By the time withdrawals stop, the platform has vanished or demands a 'tax' to pay out.

Visa, job & Golden Visa fraud

Fake 'agents' offer work visas, free-zone licences or Golden Visas on Telegram, WhatsApp and Instagram, charge a processing fee or 'refundable deposit', then vanish or keep inventing extra charges. Fake employers advertise attractive GCC roles on job sites and social media, conduct the 'interview' by text only, then ask for visa charges, insurance, or passport copies before any contract. In another variant, victims are promised a job and told to pay for their own 'offer letter' — a document that never existed. Check any agent against the official licensing authority (e.g. the relevant government economic department) and never pay before a signed contract.

Romance & sweetheart scams

Fake profiles on Tinder, Bumble, Instagram and gaming apps build emotional connections over weeks or months with stolen photos and scripted affection, then ask for money for travel, medical emergencies, customs release of a 'gift', or a sudden business crisis. Victims are often introduced to a 'financial advisor' and handed off to crypto investment fraud once their guard is down. The fraudsters operate in teams, share account access, and may keep the relationship going for over a year, extracting repeated payments. Because victims are emotionally invested, many are too ashamed to report it.

Business email compromise (BEC)

Fraudsters compromise or spoof a supplier's, client's or executive's email and redirect invoice payments to their own account. They often watch real correspondence for months to learn amounts, dates and language, then send a 'bank details changed' invoice at the perfect moment — end of month, before a payment run. A second fake email confirms the change to intercept verification. BEC hits SMEs across the Gulf with six-figure losses, and because the emails sit inside genuine threads they bypass spam filters. Payment-account changes must always be verified by a phone call to a known number, never by replying to the email.

Money mule recruitment

Telegram, WhatsApp and TikTok adverts promise 'earn $200–500/day, easy work from home, no experience'. Victims are asked to receive money into their own bank account and forward it to another account or convert it to crypto, keeping a commission. The money is stolen from other scam victims — so the mule's account becomes part of the crime chain. Even if the person did not know, banks in the Gulf close mule accounts and some countries press charges for money laundering; the person can also become liable to repay the defrauded amount. Recruitment now targets students via 'campus ambassador' ads and teens via gaming chats.

Data breaches & dark-web dumps

Breached Gulf data — phone numbers, Emirates ID and Iqama details, email addresses, and partial payment data — is sold on the dark web to scammers who use it to make phishing attacks highly personalised and convincing. A text that names you, cites your ID number or references your last purchase is usually powered by a breach. This is the fuel behind most other scams on this page: it gives fraudsters the trust they need in the first message. Criminals also combine leaked data with AI voice cloning to impersonate family members and officials.

Customs & parcel delivery scams

A text or email claims a parcel is held by customs or a courier and you must pay a customs tax, VAT or storage fee via a link. The link leads to a page styled like the real courier or postal service that harvests your card details. Victims often fall for it because they genuinely have a delivery on the way — fraudsters send thousands of messages knowing some will land. After the card is entered, small test charges appear, then larger ones. Some variants ask for a 'redelivery fee' of a few dollars, which is purely an attempt to validate your card for bigger fraud.

Fake property rental scams

Listings at below-market rates use stolen photos of real apartments. The 'landlord' — often overseas or 'traveling' — refuses viewings and demands a full-year deposit, a holding fee or 'refundable insurance' in advance via transfer. After payment the landlord vanishes and the victim arrives at an apartment that was never for rent, or was already rented by someone else. Fraudsters recycle the same photos across different names and platforms, and some create fake tenancy contracts and 'rental agency' receipts. Demand is highest among new arrivals, which is exactly who the ads target.

Utility disconnection threats

Callers posing as electricity, water or internet authorities threaten disconnection within hours unless an overdue bill is paid through a payment link sent by SMS. The call feels real because the fraudster has your name, address and a plausible bill amount from breached data. Victims pay quickly out of fear of losing power or connectivity, especially during summer heat. In office versions, the 'authority' calls the reception and demands immediate payment to avoid cutting the building's power, catching busy staff off guard.

Family member in distress calls

A caller claims to be a relative in trouble — arrested, in hospital, or stuck at a border — and pleads for urgent money, begging you not to hang up and not to tell anyone. Fraudsters use AI voice cloning to imitate a family member's voice, or put a distressed 'friend' on the line. The story usually involves a lawyer, bail or embassy fees that must be paid in hours via transfer or gift cards. Because the call plays on panic and love, victims often skip the obvious checks. Always hang up and call the relative on their known number.

Fake charity & zakat campaigns

Fraudsters pose as official charities during Ramadan, Eid or humanitarian crises, using WhatsApp forwards and cloned logos to collect zakat, sadaqah and emergency donations into private accounts. Campaign pages copy real charity branding and show fabricated photos of aid distribution. Some criminals call donors who gave publicly to known charities and claim their previous donation 'failed' to get a second payment. Official charities in the Gulf publish their licensed account numbers and never collect via personal accounts or random WhatsApp numbers.

Salary advance & loan offers

Unlicensed lenders offer instant loans or salary advances via WhatsApp and social ads with no credit checks and 'approval in minutes', then demand upfront insurance, admin fees or a 'refundable deposit' before disbursement — and disappear once paid. Because the victim is short of cash, the fee seems small next to the promised loan. Some fake lenders then sell the victim's details to other fraudsters, triggering follow-up 'recovery' scams. In a second variant, victims are asked to share their bank app login 'to set up the transfer', which is used to drain the account. Legitimate lenders in the Gulf are licensed and never ask for fees before disbursing a loan.

Government app & digital ID scams (UAE Pass / Absher / Tawakkalna / Metrash2 / Sahel)

Phishing pages and calls impersonate the official digital-ID apps and portals every resident uses — UAE Pass, Saudi Absher and Tawakkalna, Qatar's Metrash2, Bahrain's Sahel and their equivalents. A text or email warns your 'digital ID has expired', your 'Absher is blocked', or your 'UAE Pass needs re-verification', with a link to a login page that steals your ID credentials. Once the fraudster has your digital-ID login they can access government services in your name: renewing documents, viewing your Emirates ID / Iqama details, porting your SIM, or opening accounts. Some victims only discover the takeover when a government letter arrives about a service they never requested. No government app ever asks you to 're-verify' by clicking a link in a text message — verification happens inside the official app you already have.

Chamaa / rotating savings circle fraud ('money bazi')

Chamaas — rotating savings circles — are a trusted tradition in South Asian and Arab expat communities: each member pays in monthly and one member takes the pot in turn. Fraudsters exploit that trust with fake 'online chamaa' groups on WhatsApp and Telegram, or by taking over a real circle: the organiser collects several months of contributions, then vanishes before paying out — or recruits strangers into a group where the first 'winners' are the fraudsters themselves. Victims lose contributions they can never recover, and because the arrangement is informal there is no bank or regulator to complain to. Only join circles run by people you know personally, agree everything in writing, and never send money to an account you have not verified.