Ordering food online has almost become a no-brainer. ‘Almost’ here is the keyword. Well, if necessary precautions and alertness are not observed, you might just end up getting scammed out of loads of money, as phishing scams are on the rise these days. Something similar happened to a Dubai expat whose AED29 bill turned into a phishing scam of AED9,872.
UAE Expat Scammed Out Of Money While Ordering Food
A UAE expat was ordering food online when she saw an advertisement about discounted meals from a popular fried chicken outlet. As reported by Khaleej Times, it was mentioned that when she ordered online, she just wanted to treat her staff and the bill amounted to AED29. However, once she submitted the OTP, she ended up getting billed AED2,020. Upon calling the bank, she got the shock of life when it was revealed that multiple transactions totalling AED9872.69 had been made. While she tried to contact the bank and asked them to pause the transactions, it was unsuccessful. These transactions had gone through! As a result, a simple meal ended up costing the single mother quite a pretty penny.
How To Be Safe From Phishing Fraud?
This is just one of the many incidents that have come to light as several fishing scams have been reported. Fraudulent websites pose a great risk to people as they imitate legitimate food delivery platforms which easily deceive users into disclosing their credit card information. So, with the rising number of scams, it’s important to follow some tips that will keep you safe from them.
- You must be cautious of unsolicited offers that might seem too good to be true. Or even clear of unfamiliar and suspicious email addresses, social media accounts or websites.
- To ensure that a website is legitimate, make sure to refer to the official website and authorised channels of renowned food establishments.
- Do not share your personal information, bank details or any other sensitive data that may lead to you getting scammed out of your hard-earned money.
- When you receive an OTP, make sure to verify the purchase amount and the merchant name before you enter the details anywhere.
So, while these scams are on the rise, if you follow necessary precautions and stay alert, it’s quite easy to steer clear of them.
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva (Images are for representative purposes)
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