Doha, Qatar: Residents have been advised to use prepaid cards for online transactions instead of credit cards to minimise potential financial losses in the event of hacking or online fraud.
The advice was given during an awareness webinar on Monday organised by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) on cybercrime prevention, where an officer at the Economic and Cyber Crimes Prevention Department, First Lieutenant Omer Ahmed Salim highlighted common online scams and measures to protect against financial fraud.
Salim said prepaid cards offer an additional layer of protection, as users can keep only the amount needed for online purchases on the card, limiting potential losses if their card details are stolen.
He urged residents to use secure and trusted websites for online purchases and avoid sharing sensitive information, including credit card numbers, PINs and one-time passwords (OTPs), through email, phone calls or messaging applications.
Salim stressed the importance of verifying financial transactions, particularly those involving large sums of money, and urged companies to ensure that payment requests received through email are legitimate.
He advised financial departments to carefully check the sender’s email address and domain name and independently verify payment instructions through phone or video calls before transferring funds, noting that scammers often impersonate company representatives or use email addresses resembling legitimate business accounts to deceive employees into transferring money to fraudulent accounts.
Salim said the department investigates and pursues fraudsters operating inside Qatar, and efforts can be made to recover money and return it to victims. However, when suspects are based outside the country, the relevant authorities cooperate with their counterparts in other countries to pursue the cases and seek the recovery of stolen funds.
He also urged residents to send money only through authorised exchange houses and financial institutions rather than transferring funds through personal acquaintances or unknown individuals.
The officer warned residents against scammers impersonating the Ministry of Interior officials, bank employees and other government representatives to obtain personal information and banking details.
He stressed that residents should never disclose their OTPs, Qatar ID details or banking information to callers claiming to represent government agencies or financial institutions while advising anyone receiving suspicious calls claiming to be from a bank should independently contact the bank or visit a branch to verify the information before taking any action.
Salim also cautioned against suspicious links and fraudulent messages claiming that bank cards have been blocked or requesting small payments for delivery charges from Qatar Post or other shipping companies.
The webinar highlighted scams involving WhatsApp accounts, in which fraudsters use stolen profile pictures of friends or relatives to impersonate them and deceive victims.
