We often receive scam e-mails, phone calls, SMS or WhatsApp messages to get our personal information and you may think you are fully aware of them but can get trapped into this game without realising.

Ministry of Transport and Communications often alert people through their social media accounts to remind everyone to be aware from any possible scams. ILQ team also created an awareness video "How to deal with scam calls" in 2018 and have shared an article "Watch out for phishing scam in Qatar" earlier this year.

Lately, many people reported to ILQ team that they are receiving SMS messages from a mobile number pretending to be Criminal Investigation Department (CID) that ATM card has been suspended for a security reason, which requires a callback.

This particular scam is one of the re-occurring ones since many years ago but seems to be more active lately. They come in different formats, some do even have spelling errors as below.

According to a CID officer we spoke with, CID does not send SMS. Instead, they call your mobile number and speak to you personally to deliver such a message.

How to avoid phishing?

• Keep your private information confidential - never give out sensitive information to anyone
• Never click on suspicious links within a message
• Look closely at the spelling of the web address and check for any minor inconsistencies that may indicate a phishing website
• If there are spelling mistakes or grammatical errors this usually means it's a scam message
• Report immediately to the organisation or industry group

If you get scammed, please contact CID immediately at 234 7444.

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Leena Chung

Salam!

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