The central bank has warned of frauds that exploit the spread of the Corona virus (Covid 19), by e-mail, text messages, phone calls or home visits, in pursuit of funds or personal information.
Means of fraud
The Central Bank added in a circular issued yesterday that the fraud operations claim that it has a cure for “Covid-19”, or that it provides free masks, or medical products, in addition to any other tricks related to this epidemic.
He explained that fraud methods take many forms, which can be linked to the sale of goods and services to protect against the virus, through the purchase of a health or financial insurance policy, or medical treatments.
The Central Bank continued: “It is known that the fraudsters are skillful and opportunists, and they will make numerous and numerous attempts to defraud and steal money, and it is very likely that they will target the vulnerable groups that are affected easily. Therefore, consumers should be cautious about the frauds associated with (Covid 19).”
Al-Markazi urged consumers not to open any unknown links that include addresses or e-mail messages, and text messages that claim to have treatment for the virus or provide free masks or medical products.
Investment offers
The central bank pointed to the presence of frauds through fake investment offers or works, noting unrealistic investment offers, as the individual may be contacted to participate in high-return investment opportunities, and they are likely to be fake.
He continued, "The fraudsters may claim that they invented a treatment for (COFED-19), or they obtained technology or other innovations that will be increased by hospitals, and therefore you need investors to finance these projects."
The «Central» stressed the need not to go into such projects or provide any money or personal information, except after talking to an investment broker, or a licensed financial advisor, to make sure of the truth of the matter, and to determine the credibility of the investment and the claim.
Charities
The Central also indicated that individuals may be contacted to defraud them and push them to send money to fake and charitable societies, claiming that they are working to help those affected by COFED-19, warning against providing money, credit cards, or personal information without checking the legitimacy of the charity. . The “Central” urged everyone to take the necessary precautions when donating money, and to make sure before sending any money, that the charity is registered and licensed with the state.
Decline offers
The Central Bank advised individuals to protect themselves by rejecting all offers of products or services that come from unknown persons, or have not been verified, or through social media, emails, or any other (unknown) channels that are not known, calling To not respond to promises made in advertisements and on social media and paid advertisements over the Internet, and to ensure that reliable sources and official websites are used to verify the authenticity of the parties involved, and warn of phone calls, email and suspicious text messages, as they use false identities To hide the true identity of fraudsters.
Business operations and information confidentiality
The central bank warned against rushing to take decisions related to any commercial operation, and not to disclose any personal information to any unknown party, while maintaining the confidentiality of the personal address and the bank account, and any other information, such as those related to insurance, pensions, and investment details.