Al Junaibi: Swindler uses people passionate to own special numbers
Abu Dhabi , United Arab Emirates - Monday, June 24th 2013 [ME NewsWire]
Drops out of site after receiving payment
The Abu Dhabi Police recently arrested the ‘golden mobile number’ swindler, who deceived his victims into believing that they would own and register very special mobile numbers. The man would disappear after being paid for his services; in one case, this amount totaled AED 40,000. The truth behind those numbers was that they were already in existence and registered to other people.
The swindler targeted his victims randomly. He promoted his fake services via Broadcast, a mobile messaging application, in addition to SMS’s. He claimed that he had very unique numbers, and that he would like to sell them at good prices to the public.
Colonel Ojeil Ali Al Junaibi, Director of the Western Region Police Directorate at the Abu Dhabi Police GHQ, said: “The suspect, an Arab, cheated victims across the UAE by using various fake Emirati names and professions. Many of his victims did not report him as they were scared of a negative social impact taking into consideration that some of losses were simple.”
Colonel Al Junaibi added: “Many criminal reports were registered against the suspect, mostly describing one technique. Investigations continue to find the money he received from his victims, which totals thousands of dirhams. In one case, he met his victim in person and was able to cash 40,000 dirhams from him, after convincing him to buy one of his golden numbers.”
“The suspect, A.R.Kh., 27, is unemployed. He took advantage of people who are interested in buying and owning unique numbers at good a price. Unique or special numbers are those that are easy to remember. He would send an SMS or use the Broadcast app randomly, until he captured a victim. He would tell people that he is an Emirati citizen who works as an operational manager in one of the mobile operators in the country. He would then negotiate with the buyer as if he is marketing these numbers,” he explained.
Speaking on how victims were told that they would receive the “fake” golden number, Colonel Al Junaibi stated: “The swindler would explain to the buyer that he can be issued a replacement SIM card from any of the operator’s sales offices, once he receives the payment. They would agree on a money exchange center. He would then tell the victim that he is out of the country, and that his agent, who has a power of attorney on his behalf, would register the SIM card to the victim’s name after he receives an SMS with the victim’s personal data.”
He added: “The buyer would discover that he was a victim of fraud when he visits the sales office carrying his ID. The sales employee would refuse to issue the SIM card because the victim’s name would not match the applicant’s name, as the card is registered to someone else. When the victims try to contact the swindler, they would discover that his phone is switched off. The suspect had disappeared and changed his mobile number in order to start a new hunt.”
Colonel Al Junaibi urged the public not to fall victim to such fraud and lose large amounts of money for nothing. He warned mobile users to be careful of such swindlers, who target them to steal their money by using complicated techniques and deceiving SMS’s.
He also urged the public not to trust such stories and avoid sending large cash amounts to any untrustworthy sales person before checking with the mobile operator to verify any promotional offers. “Operators have legal and transparent ways to sell special numbers, either at their facilities, certified sales points, or through their websites,” he explained.
The Director of the Western Region Police Directorate urged the public to take precautions in dealing with any suspicious phone calls and messages; reminding community members to first verify their sources. He also warned them against falling victim to any phone or internet fraud, stressing that reporting such violations immediately helps to arrest such criminals.
The General Secretariat of the Office of His Highness Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior, has previously launched a campaign organized by the Security Media Department, with the support of some civil institutions. The campaign received great response from both citizens and residents. It aimed to raise awareness among the public on avoiding such risks; the campaign introduced them to the negative aspects of modern technology. It also educated the public on the correct and meaningful ways of using technology. Moreover, the campaign introduced the community to ways of protecting their savings against mobile phone swindlers and internet hackers.
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Photo Description:
Photo 1: Colonel Ojeil Al Junaibi
Photo 2: Graphic illustrates a special number marketing operation
The Arabic-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the Arabic-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.
Contacts
The UAE Minister of Interior's General Secretariat, Tactical Affairs and Security Media Department
Abu Dhabi Police GHQ - Security Media
Chris Cron +971-(0)-50-908-5946
E-mail: cron.media@hotmail.com
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