The UAE residents are facing a new series of cyberattacks. The number of spam phone calls has increased significantly. The precision of the attackers has made the calls hard to identify. Cybersecurity experts say fraudsters are using caller ID spoofing to make their calls appear to come from banks, government offices, police departments, or other trusted organizations.
The warning comes after several residents reported receiving suspicious calls from people claiming to be officials. Because the phone number looks genuine, many people believe the caller is real. Experts say that is exactly what scammers want.
One recent case highlighted how convincing these scams can be. Recently, Rody Nasr, a UAE resident, filed a complaint that he received a call from someone claiming to represent an official authority from the US Embassy claiming that he has a money-laundering case linked to his identity. The caller seemed to know all the details of the person, and there was no point in suspecting.
While talking to the person, Nasr checked the number online, and he said, “It appeared that this is the embassy's number.” The caller sounded professional and spoke confidently. However, the resident became suspicious after he asked for his passport details.
After that, when he called the actual embassy, he got to know, “Yes, this is a scam. You're not the first person. They're using our embassy's number.” Experts say this follows a common pattern. Scammers often ask for passport numbers, Emirates ID details, banking information, passwords, or one-time verification codes. Once they get that information, they may use it to access accounts or commit fraud.
These scams work because they target human behavior rather than technology alone. Fraudsters usually rely on three things: trust, authority, and urgency. They pretend to be bank employees, police officers, government workers, or telecom representatives. Most people naturally trust such figures.
The second step is creating pressure. Victims are told that an account may be blocked, a fine may be pending, or an important document may have a problem. The goal is to stop people from thinking carefully.
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The biggest risk is that the effect doesn’t end with the call. If a scammer gets your personal information, they could try to steal your identity, get into your money accounts, or use your details in future fraud attempts. Victims can lose money, spend months fixing account problems, and cope with stress long after the incident.
The increase in spoofed calls is a reminder that just because a phone number looks familiar doesn’t mean the caller is legitimate. Experts recommend residents independently verify requests and never share sensitive information during unsolicited calls.