Two days ago, I received a phone call from someone posing to be an official from the bank here in the Sultanate of Oman, specifically the Central Bank of Oman. The caller claimed that my bank account was compromised, i.e., misused by unauthorised access. The caller asked me whether I had debited (taken some money out) an amount of RO 1000.
The caller then insisted that I immediately share my personal Omani Identification Card (ID) number, along with my bank card(s) (both debit and credit if available), in order to avoid losing any money. Obviously, the caller/scammer did not realise who I am and the humble experience I hold in this industry.
I decided to tag along for an approximately 6-minute phone call in order to understand their tactics and share with you the highlights of the conversation in the form of an article—specifically in order to protect yourself and others from being scammed. How you can spot and avoid being scammed is the focus of my article today.
Since the call was supposedly from the bank, and it is obvious that all banks have all their customer data, it was intriguing (yet funny) that the caller was requesting my ID card, but did not know my name. In order to continue the conversation, I shared a fake ID number in which the caller validated and accepted.
Next, the caller asked me to share my bank card account number. I responded by asking which of the card does he want, is it debit or credit? and from which of the banks I have an account with. The caller at this stage realised this was probably not an ordinary easy call, or felt it was a big opportunity to scam for more money.
Anyways, the caller requested that I share the type of the card (be it debit or credit), the number on the card starting with “4” or “5”. I questioned the caller and said why do you need this number, the caller said in order to validate your bank details and protect you from losing money.
The caller said an “OTP” (one time password) would be sent to my phone, I would require to share the number to the caller in order to safeguard the account. I asked the caller for his name, in which he shared an Arab name, though he sounded eastern European.
I later asked for basic Arabic questions, in which the caller realised I knew the game and hanged up the phone. The caller was a scammer who got punked this time. Now let me demystify the call for your kind perusal in order to spot the scammer. First, the call originated from an international number (claiming to be a local bank). Secondly, the caller didn’t know my name (but asked for my personal ID number). Third, he didn’t know what bank account or card type do I have (but stated initially that there was a misuse on my card). Lastly, the scammer was putting fear and using urgency to force me into making quick decision (to share the OTP). These were all signs that the caller was indeed a scammer.
Most of the scammers use almost the same tactics. Be careful and do not share your sensitive personal and banking details no matter how convincing the caller sounds. Even better, hang up the call and call your bank directly using the official number you can find on the card(s) or the bank's official website if you find the call suspicious. Too many people have been receiving bank scam calls lately.
A number of those who have received these calls have been scammed and lost money. I’ve read a report that bank scam calls in Oman have increased approximately by 25% in this year itself. The number will most probably increase as these scammers continue to find innovative tactics (even using technology) to trick people. It’s important to know that banks would not call customers for account issues and ask for OTP (PIN, password, etc.) over the phone.
I hope my dialog with the scammer and the details of the same have shed some light on you. Stay vigilant and be safe. I take this opportunity to wish you and your families a blessed and safe year in 2025 ahead.
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