Saudi authorities warn citizens of fake offers for domestic workers

RIYADH: The Federation of Saudi Chambers has issued a warning asking citizens to reject offers for domestic workers from people seeking their bank details as they aim to steal money from their accounts.

The FSC, represented by the National Committee for Human Resources Companies, warned against the spread of various fake offers to provide domestic labor services.

The federation warned that WhatsApp messages and social networking sites are providing deceptive links “to trap citizens.”

The links are “a means through which amounts are withdrawn from citizens’ bank accounts,” the FSC said on Monday.

These links may bear the names of well-known companies so that it is easy to mislead citizens. The scam constitutes a crime of electronic fraud in accordance with the fourth article of the Anti-Cybercrime Law, issued by Royal Decree M/17 and dated Aug. 16, 2007, which says:

A person who commits information crimes

— seizing for himself or for others a movable property or a deed, or signing this deed, by fraud, taking a false name,

— or impersonating an incorrect capacity, and accessing, without a valid legal justification, bank or credit data, or data related to the ownership of securities to obtain data, information, money or the services it provides,

shall be punished with one or both of the following penalties: imprisonment for three years and a fine up to SR 2 million ($533,145).

The federation appealed to citizens to not be deceived by such messages that aim to take advantage of the need for domestic workers, especially during Ramadan.

The National Committee for Human Resources Companies called on people to quickly report the scams and whether they may have fallen prey to them so that the committee takes the necessary steps in coordination with the authorities to ensure that the rights of citizens are preserved.

As such financial scams have increasingly been reported recently, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority last month also issued a warning for the public to reject telephone calls from people seeking their personal or bank details. These criminal acts are known as “voice phishing” or “vishing” and aim to steal money from their accounts.

The SDAIA issued an advisory because of growing reports of criminals posing as staffers from the National Information Center and asking people for their pin numbers and passwords, ostensibly to update their bank information.

“Due to the fact that the NIC does not contact beneficiaries, the SDAIA calls on the public to preserve the confidentiality of their personal information and adhere to the relevant regulations and policies issued by the National Data Administration office at the authority,” the regulatory body said.