The Interior Ministry has warned the public to be wary of direct fraud attempts and to only carry out official transactions through approved channels.
In a video circulated yesterday, Police Media Centre Captain Manaf Alqattan called on citizens and residents to be alert and not fall victim to scammers impersonating ministry officials.
“Beware of direct fraud attempts,” Capt Alqattan warned.
“No government entity sends its employees to request or collect cash on public roads.”
The warning comes amid cases in which scammers have been caught impersonating government officials to extort cash from unsuspecting individuals.
Earlier this year, the GDN reported on the case of five Bahrainis who impersonated police officers to raid a car workshop, beating up two labourers before stealing their possessions and sabotaging security cameras.
The High Criminal Court sentenced them to five years in prison each on charges of theft and assault.
Last year, the GDN reported on another case of an expatriate shop employee who claimed to be an undercover CID agent to extort money from members of the Asian expatriate community.
The 23-year-old reportedly approached residents demanding to check their visa status and then extorting ‘fines’ from those whose visas were expired or who had violated residency laws.
He was sentenced to three years in prison for impersonating a public security officer, and will be deported after completing his sentence.
In yesterday’s announcement, the Interior Ministry also reminded members of the public to only make government payments through official channels.
“Carry out all your official transactions and payments through approved electronic channels and platforms or at the premises of relevant authorities,” Capt Alqattan said.
“Do not respond to any suspicious financial requests and stay alert to protect yourself from fraud.”
Last year, the Industry and Commerce Ministry’s Consumer Protection Directorate warned against fraudulent links and fake websites impersonating the directorate.
The directorate reportedly received several reports of fake links appearing in Google search results, redirecting users to fraudulent pages requesting their personal and banking information, with impersonators subsequently contacting victims via WhatsApp.
The Consumer Protection Directorate confirmed that such practices are scams aimed at stealing consumers’ data and money.
It also urged all consumers to ignore such messages and links received through WhatsApp and to refrain from sharing any banking details or transaction codes, stressing that the Consumer Protection team does not communicate with consumers via WhatsApp.
Any case of suspected fraud can be reported through the MyGov application, or the dedicated anti-corruption and economic and electronic security hotline at 992.
In June this year, 1,553 complaints were submitted online, including 322 complaints relayed to the anti-corruption and economic and electronic security, 12 to the anti-corruption wing and 395 related to cyber crime.
The public announcement warning of direct scams
