Muscat: The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has issued a warning about fraudulent SMS messages impersonating banks. These messages trick beneficiaries into clicking malicious links that appear to be from legitimate bank websites, with the intent of stealing money from their accounts.
TRA has advised all recipients of such messages to refrain from interacting with them and report immediately to the bank being impersonated.
The number of fraud victims has been increasing, with fraudulent messages and calls adopting various forms. The TRA urges bank customers and online users to be aware of these fraud tactics to help identify the challenges faced by telecom licensees in combating these scams.
To avoid falling prey to these fraudulent activities, the TRA recommends taking several precautionary steps. These include avoiding responses to messages from unknown or suspicious senders, refraining from transferring funds to unverified accounts or individuals, being cautious of offers requiring upfront fees or personal information, and staying alert to urgent requests, threats, or intimidation. Most importantly, users are urged to block and report suspicious senders on WhatsApp.
