Scammers offering fake investment opportunities have posed as a nuisance to thousands of residents in Qatar.

Residents in Qatar have raised the alarm on dubious calls from scammers claiming to offer investment opportunities with Qatar Central Bank.

Victims of the scheme said they have been inundated with calls from the scammers who request personal and sensitive information, with some threatening to close bank accounts if they refuse to share the details.

“When the hacking started, she [her mother] would get a call literally every 10, 15 minutes. I would say, like about 40 calls in a day and it went on for four days,” Iman told Doha News.

“The issue is that these scammers were constantly calling from different numbers, so there was no way to block them and there was no way to report it because they were always calling from a different number which made it very difficult to get on top of the situation,” she added.

In another case, one victim said he was surprised that the callers on the other end of the line already knew his name.

“They called me and addressed me by name saying they are offering a unique investment opportunity as part of a scheme with Qatar Central Bank. They were speaking in the Qatari dialect and for a second it all seemed like a legit call until they started asking me who I bank with,” Mohammed told Doha News.

He said he immediately declined and ended the call, but continued to receive similar calls for another two to three weeks at least.

“Eventually they stopped but that was after I repeatedly told them I’m not interested. There needs to be some sort of regulation to deter such scammers and serious laws put in place to ensure data privacy. How do they get our numbers and names? How do they know we are awaiting deliveries?” he added, referring to another common sms-based scam that is prevalent in Qatar.

Regions of the Africa and the Middle East, including countries like Turkey have experienced an upward trend in such cybercrimes with Qatar alone witnessing a significant 88% spike in phishing attacks during the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period in the previous year.

Those scams are disguised as a text message from global shipping giant DHL and manipulated the individual into transferring additional shipping costs, adding to the rapidly growing global issue of phishing and fraudulent scams.

Iman said she tried to address her mother’s issue but was left with no options.

“We’re trying to figure out what to do and all of that and, you know, we had many phone calls with her bank until eventually she was forced to go there herself. And the only solution that they offered is that she would have to cancel her SIM card and get a new one.”

Another resident weighed in on the issue, expressing the shared sentiment of many calling on authorities to implement more regulations to tackle such nuisance.

“There needs to be more regulations surrounding these cyber threats. I hope the government can bolster security measures. Whether it’s calls or text messages, everyone deserves a level of privacy, and the origin of these disturbances needs to be identified and regulated,” another resident told Doha News.

They also said the current intense wave of cyberattacks underscores the urgent necessity for robust cyber regulations and heightened public awareness.

“Some people, especially old folks, don’t know. They are easy victims, and it can sometimes cost them thousands of riyals. It’s a ruthless business that needs to shut down. I never had this problem elsewhere, to be fair. At least not as much as here.”

As per Qatari law, cybercrime includes illegal access to systems or information, fraud, identity theft, or content-related offences such as spam. Authorities have ramped up efforts to tackle the ongoing issue in recent years, especially following a bombshell hacking of the state-run Qatar News Agency led to a years-long major political dispute between the Gulf state and a number of neighbouring Arab countries.

The Gulf nation also hosts a Cyber Security Center that identifies cyber crimes, conducts investigations, and refers perpetrators to the judiciary. The centre compiles reports on the nation’s digital landscape and has instituted the Security Shield to monitor electronic attacks.

In 2021, the National Cyber Security Agency was created following an Amiri order. It operates under the direct supervision of the Council of Ministers, chaired by Abdul Rahman Ali Muhammad Al-Farahid Al-Malki.

The decision to establish the agency was made to consolidate efforts and visions in safeguarding the nation’s cyberspace and ensuring national cyber security.

How to protect yourself from scammers

Cyber experts have urged users to exercise caution with links contained within emails or text messages, irrespective of who the sender appears to be.

They strongly recommended using only official websites for parcel tracking and said genuine delivery services rarely, if ever, request payments through email or SMS.

Additionally, internet-facing devices should be equipped with endpoint security solutions, and regular awareness training should be conducted to ensure employees stay informed about the latest cyber threats.

When planning vacations, it is advised to use only trusted and reputable travel booking platforms, airlines, and hotel websites.

Furthermore, for enhanced security during online transactions, they propose the use of dedicated virtual cards with preset spending limits. Such measures can provide a safety buffer, ensuring that in the event of a breach, a user’s primary bank funds or savings remain untouched.