Ooredoo issued a statement yesterday amid a new rise of identity theft cases impersonating Ooredoo as their caller ID and targeting Qatar residents.
Avoiding any request to share personal information over the phone is also crucial, said Ooredoo, which reminded customers that it will never call to collect personal information or payment details over the phone. Other means of communication will always be used, should payment details be absolutely necessary, Ooredoo stressed.
Scammers are taking advantage of the modern-day dependence on mobile phones, so a frequent scam is stealing personal information via phone operations with which credit cards can then be created and used or personal bank loans taken, Ooredoo said. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), personal data can also be sold illegally.
Manar Khalifa al-Muraikhi, director PR and Corporate Communications at Ooredoo, said, “We recognise fraudsters are employing ever more sophisticated techniques in their attempts to defraud our valued customers, and we are taking every precaution to help them keep their data safe and secure.”
One of the classic frauds currently seen is prize winning. Fraudster contacts the potential victim to inform them they have a won a prize, but in order to receive this prize the victim will need to provide anything from personal information to the ICC-ID (Integrated Circuit Card - ID) found at the back of the SIM card. Ooredoo stresses that in almost all cases, no prize exists and the scam is purely to obtain personal information for dishonest purposes.
Ooredoo said it is urging any customer concerned about potential fraudulent activity to report any such suspicions via the 111 call centre or via e-mail to [email protected]
