Sharjah: Police have arrested 10 men for calling people in the UAE and asking them to transfer money to their telephones in return for valuable prizes.
The scam artists would then sell the mobile credit to other people.
The Pakistani suspects claimed to be calling from a well-known company.
The Criminal Investigation Department at Sharjah Police formed a team after receiving a tip off about the illegal activity.
The suspects used disappear after they obtained the money.
The police team managed to collect information about the gang which helped them locate their residence. In cooperation with Ajman Police, a police team raided the suspects’ apartment in Ajman; they were caught while making a phone call to a victim. They were convincing the victim to transfer money immediately in order to receive a grand prize.
A large number of mobile phones and SIM cards as well as printed phrases in English and Arabic — said to be used for the scam — were found in the apartment.
Police investigations also revealed the money they obtained in the form of mobile credits had been sold to people at cheap rates. Then they divided the profit among them.
The suspects have been detained and have been referred to the public prosecution.
Sharjah Police 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 tech_crimes@shjpolice.gov.ae
