Sharjah: Twenty-one men have been arrested for running a scam by calling up residents and asking them to transfer money to telephone numbers in return for valuable prizes. The men would then sell the mobile credit to others.
The suspects, of Pakistani nationality, claimed to be calling from a leading telecom service provider (Etisalat) and would ask people to transfer money immediately in order to receive a grand prize of Dh200,000 and iPhone 6. The unsuspecting victims would be told to transfer sums between Dh5,000 and Dh10,000 to complete procedures to receive the prize.
The Criminal Investigation Department at Sharjah Police formed a team after receiving a tip-off about the illegal activity.
The suspects would lure people with the offer of prizes and disappear after obtaining the money, having trashed the SIM card for fear of being tracked down.
The police managed to track down the gang members and raided two apartments in Al Nahda where they were caught red-handed making a phone call to a victim.
A large number of mobile phones and SIM cards were found in the apartment.
The suspects have confessed to the crime and have been referred to the public prosecution.
Lieutenant Colonel Faisal Bin Nasser, deputy chief of the Criminal Investigation Department, urged all community members to cooperate with the security agencies and report any suspicious acts or crimes on 999 or 06-5632222 or the toll-free number Najeed 800 151 or via SMS on 7999 or on www.shjpolice.gov.ae/najeed.
