Muscat – Royal Oman Police (ROP) has urged people to ignore calls or messages claiming to block bank accounts to avoid falling prey to electronic fraud.

In a statement, ROP said, ‘Fraudulent messages using the logos of official entities and local banks are being circulated, claiming that your bank account will be frozen for security reasons. Please do not share details of your bank cards with unknown individuals or organisations to avoid being a victim of cyber fraud.’

ROP said cyber crimes in Oman increased 25 per cent in 2020; online fraud in the sultanate is also on the rise.

To report fraud, the ROP urged the public to call the Directorate General of Inquiries and Criminal Investigation on 80077444.

Scamsters have recently started using popular apps, including WhatsApp and IMO, with ROP logos as well profile pictures of personnel dressed in uniform.

M N Amin, a Muscat resident, was surprised when a number with a profile photo of a ROP personnel added her number to his contact list on IMO.

The next day, she received a call from the same number asking her to present herself to Mawaleh police station as there was a complaint against her.

On probing further, she was told that she had used the services of a popular money exchange house recently, from where a complaint was registered against her.

“I told them I cannot visit the police station, when person said that it is not a problem. I just needed to disclose an OTP to him which I would receive from the exchange house.”

Soon enough, Amin received an OTP. “But as soon as I heard that I needed to share the OTP, I knew the whole thing was a fraud. I disconnected the phone, and that was the end of the matter.”