Scam calls have become increasingly prevalent in the UAE and globally, posing a significant threat to individuals’ financial security and personal information.
While it may be tempting to engage with these callers out of curiosity or a desire to confront them, doing so is generally inadvisable, experts told Arabian Business.
“Scam calls in the UAE have spiked at an alarming rate, so much so that UAE residents almost expect scam calls daily, often receiving two to three calls per day. Sometimes, we joke about the frequency of scam calls, saying they’re the reason we always know where our phones are,” Karthik Anandarao, Chief Technology Evangelist at ManageEngine said, adding that these scammers have entered the UAE slowly but strongly, targeting residents who want to make it big quickly.
Anandarao added that common types of scam calls include charity, insurance (health and life alike), credit cards, financial transactions, real estate, bank loans, and job opportunities.
But how are scammers today getting a hold of phone numbers?
Speaking to Arabian Business, Morey Haber, Chief Security Advisor at BeyondTrust explained phone numbers are “more accessible” than most people realise, with scammers deploying multiple methods to obtain them.
“Public directories, social media profiles, online forms, and data breaches are all common sources. People often underestimate how much personal data they willingly offer on social media, job boards, or even e-commerce sites. If a platform experiences a data breach, phone numbers are frequently among the stolen information and available for purchase on the Dark Web. Additionally, scammers can use automated software, known as ‘robocallers’, to generate phone numbers until the automation makes a valid phone connection,” he said.
Today, several individuals take it to social media platforms to post about their interactions with scam callers. However, both experts strongly advise against engaging with suspected scam callers.
“A scam caller can easily understand you psychologically based on your tone of voice. A minute or two into the conversation, you would have shared more than what is needed for the caller on the other side. That opens up an arena of opportunities for such scam callers to constantly nag you annoyingly with the information thus shared. Any personal or professional information shared can lead to financial losses, data loss, and deterioration of mental health,” Anandarao said.
Echoing the sentiment, Haber warned that engaging with a scam caller, even for a short time, opens the door to numerous attack vectors, some subtle, some not so much.
“First, answering, or interacting with, the call confirms to the scammer that your phone number is valid. This simple act increases the likelihood that you will be targeted again, either by the same scammer or by others who might acquire your number. Scammers often share or sell lists of confirmed active numbers within their networks.
“Second, scammers are skilled social engineering experts who can draw sensitive information from even brief conversations without you even realising what inferences can be determined by your responses. By starting a simple dialogue, they may convince you to reveal seemingly harmless details, which they can use later for identity theft or other social engineering attacks. Even just saying “yes” to a question can be dangerous, as scammers might digitally record your response and use it in fraudulent ways, such as authorising charges or agreements for subscribed services.
“Finally, the digital nature of modern communications further amplifies the risk. Calls today may be recorded, analysed, and manipulated by artificial intelligence, giving scammers the necessary recordings to create deepfake recordings of your own voice to use as additional attack vectors in the future,” he said.
However, if one realises they’re on a call with a scammer, immediate action is crucial
“Once you recognise you are speaking to a potential scammer, the recommended action is to hang up immediately. Even if the caller seems friendly or non-threatening, do not provide any information (especially personal information) and avoid additional interaction. Ending the call promptly minimises the risk of falling for questions that could be used to manipulate your responses. After hanging up, you should block the number to prevent future calls from that source. Some phone carriers allow you to report the number as suspicious, which helps avoid similar attacks against other individuals.
“If you did disclose any information by accident, change the passwords for any websites that may have been discussed. Finally, if you frequently receive these calls, consider only allowing your phone to ring if the phone number is in your contact list and using third-party applications to block spam and robocallers. These two steps can help minimise intrusive calls,” Haber advised.
Anandarao added politely refusing to continue the conversation and adding the caller to your block list, is advisable.
“Scammers often look to derive any personal data from the person they are interacting with for future benefits. Even if nothing useful is shared during a particular call, mentioning something as simple as looking for loan options sometime in the future gives scammers the chance to call the same person again and pick up the conversation from where they have left off, using this information to build trust with the victim,” he said, adding that if anyone is a victim of a scam call, report it immediately to the UAE police via the e-crime portal.
“Providing more details about the call to the authorities, such as nature of the call, what type of scam the scammer has pulled off, and what enticed the victim to provide such details, helps them track down similar scams and potentially catch these scammers,” he said.
Victims of phone scams in the UAE face minimal legal obligations, with their primary responsibility being to cooperate with authorities during investigations when required, Anandarao said.
In contrast, those found guilty of perpetrating such scams face severe legal repercussions. Convicted scammers may be subject to substantial financial penalties, with fines ranging from AED 30,000 to 50,000. In addition, they could face incarceration for a period of up to two years.
These stringent measures reflect the UAE’s commitment to combating phone scams and protecting its residents from fraudulent activities.
Red flags of a scam call, according to UAE experts
To make their calls appear legitimate, scammers employ various technologies.
“Scammers often use technology to spoof phone numbers and call IDs, making their calls appear as if they’re coming from local or trusted sources. This practice, known as “caller ID spoofing,” can make it seem like you’re receiving a call from a local business, government agency, or even someone in your own contact list, when in fact the call is nefarious,” BeyondTrust’s Haber said.
Another technique is when scammers employ voice modulation technologies to sound more professional and disguise their voices.
“These tools help scammers mimic the tone, accent, or even gender that is most likely to gain a victim’s trust to progress their attack. Some scammers might even use deepfake AI to replicate the voices of real people, like a family member or an authority figure, to thwart basic human detection techniques,” he said.
Other red flags that can help identify scam calls include promises of contest winnings, urgent requests for action, and demands for sensitive information.
“Another critical red flag is a sense of urgency. Scammers frequently claim that immediate action is required, such as paying a fine, resolving a legal issue, or payment to avoid incarceration. If the scammer asks you to pay in gift cards or cryptocurrency to resolve the issues, it is a tell-tale sign the call is a scam. Additionally, if the caller asks for sensitive information like Emirates ID, bank account details, or passwords, this should be an instant signal to hang up too. Legitimate companies and government agencies will not request such information over the phone, ever,” he said.
In addition, Anandarao explained that there are a few words and phrases that scam callers use frequently to lure people into the scam.
These include words like “charity, sober stories, investment benefits, credit cards with zero interest rates, credit transferred without a fee, and so on. Some callers go to the extent of conversing about your transactions in a foreign country, based on your social media posts. The moment it gets too personal, you know it is a scammer,” he said, adding that certain demographics in the UAE are more vulnerable to phone scams.
“The non-resident community who resides in the UAE gets targeted and is prone to such scams. UAE’s expatriate community is one of the biggest in the world and is also the most vulnerable to scammers. Low-income groups are often targeted by scammers wherein they are pulled in with the promise of instant remuneration opportunities. Lack of awareness regarding general scams is an issue in the UAE,” he said.
Haber further explained that elderly individuals are also prime targets. “[This is] because they may be less familiar with the tactics used by modern scammers when technology is involved. Scammers might also target younger people, especially those unfamiliar with financial systems or government operations, and feel a phone call is an acceptable form of communications when an issue arises. Immigrants or individuals who don’t speak the local language fluently may also be more vulnerable, especially to scams involving immigration impersonation,” he said.
Anandarao also warned of the consequences of falling victim to a phone scam, which can be severe and long-lasting.
“The immediate effect of falling victim to scammers is the issue of financial loss. The whole ordeal of cancelling transactions or blocking your card details to avoid further losses adds to the emotional stress and trauma that the victim goes through,” he said.
In addition, Haber explained that victims can also face emotional distress from shame to anxiety, further affecting their mental health.
“In the end, a victim’s trust has been eroded and can take a long time (if ever) to rebuild,” he concluded.
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