Beware of fake courier SMS asking for Dh4 shipping fee
Victims who make the payment online end up losing money from their bank accounts, police warn
Anumber of UAE residents have reported losing money from their bank accounts after responding to SMS messages or e-mails that asked them to pay Dh4 to claim a parcel. The messages turned out to be fake and were used only to capture their bank details, the police said.
Aisha Al Shamsi said her aunt lost as much as Dh10,000 to the scam. After her aunt clicked on the link and entered her bank details to pay the nominal fee for the supposed parcel, the scammers were able to access her account and withdraw the amount. A complaint was then lodged at the police station.
“Awareness campaigns are the most effective way to combat such rackets,” Al Shamsi said.
Several residents have confirmed that they had received similar suspicious messages.
Fahad Rashid Al Ameri, who got the fake text multiple times, said the scammers posed as established courier companies. “Victims may unknowingly respond to the text, especially since they are only asked to pay a small amount, ranging between Dh4 and Dh12,” he said.
Mohamed Zakir, another resident, said people who click on the attached link and make the payment would later discover that their bank data had been stolen.
“This method of phishing hinges on the idea that the victim will think a family member requested the shipment and proceed to make the payment to the fake courier company,” Zakir explained as he urged individuals to verify the information on these messages before clicking on links.
The modus operandi
Most of these fraudsters impersonate reputable sources or companies, according to a cybersecurity expert at the Dubai Police.
In the case of the courier scam, the link in the message leads to a fake webpage that is designed to look like an official company website.
Customers are then tricked into entering sensitive information, such as bank details, credit card numbers and CVV codes, to pay a fraudulent delivery fee. However, a delivery never takes place. Instead, phishers use the information to harvest personal data and withdraw money from victims’ bank accounts or make expensive purchases.
The police official urged community members to remain vigilant and watch out for linguistic errors in the body of the message or impersonal statements — such as ‘Dear Sir/dear Madam’ — as these may indicate that the sender is seeking to steal information.
“Before entering payment data on any website or application, it must be ensured that it is the official site or application of the delivery company,” he stressed.
Anyone who encounters fake websites or receives a notification of an unexpected delivery should report the matter to the police.
Maj-gen Saif Al Zari Al Shamsi, Commander-in-chief of the Sharjah Police, warned of other methods related to the courier fraud, where after customers click on a link and enter the card data, a fake one-time password is generated. If victims fail to realise that it is not from their bank, the fraudster may use the information to complete the transaction.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, more and more customers have been shopping online instead of going to stores and malls. This is one of the main reasons why such phishing cases have been on the rise, according to the expert at the Dubai Police.