New cyber fraud detected in Oman, warns ROP and CBO

Muscat: The Royal Oman Police (ROP) and the Central Bank of Oman (CBO) has warned the public of a new fraudulent method through social media platforms that mislead people into thinking that the CBO is providing an opportunity to obtain easy loan facilities and invite them to register by opening attached links.

The Royal Oman Police said in a notification: “ROP is alerted of a new fraudulent method in which imposters are claiming to be the Central Bank of Oman via social media applications (WhatsApp, Snapchat, and Instagram). Their aim is to entice victims with soft loan facilities. They trick the public to provide personal and banking information through an attached electronic link, after which the perpetrators withdraw money from the victims' bank accounts.”

 The Royal Oman Police advises citizens and residents to ignore these messages and not open electronic links unless they are sure of their reliability. The public is also urged avoid disclosing personal data or banking information on social media, noting that the Central Bank of Oman is not concerned with providing personal and housing loans or any other banking services to individuals.