Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Ministry of Commerce warned the public against falling prey to the fraudulent means of scammers. In a statement, the ministry cautioned against dealing with bogus websites and those people who impersonate the ministry and cheat consumers after obtaining their personal credentials and data by fraudulent means, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The ministry stated that it has monitored a number of fraud cases in which consumers have fallen prey to fraudsters as a result of sharing of their personal credentials and data with fake and forged sites. These sites were claiming to have links with the ministry.

They also ask to provide personal information on fake sites or share information on communication sites, or respond to communications from outside the Kingdom. They adopt fraudulent methods to obtain confidential information such as: bank account number, passwords and personal credentials, or OTP verification codes.”

The ministry indicated that it is coordinating with the competent authorities to apprehend the perpetrators of such crimes. It warned against passing on confidential data to any parties.

The ministry confirmed that it never asks for account numbers or ATM cards, or passwords and verification codes from consumers. The ministry stated that it receives communications only through its approved channels, which are the ministry’s unified phone number 1900 and the Balagh Tijari application (https://mc.gov.sa/C-app).