Don't entertain callers seeking personal details, Filipinos warned

RIYADH: Beware of unidentified people seeking your personal information, SIM number and Iqama details over the phone, a Filipino community leader has warned expatriates.
“I have been receiving complaints from fellow expatriates who have fallen victim to fraudulent calls from people who are possibly members of a crime syndicate,” said John Leonard Monterona, Filipino community leader in Riyadh.
Monterona said that although he has been receiving complaints about such calls from overseas Filipino workers for more than two years now, it is shocking people still fall prey to such fraud.
“Recently, a co-worlker received a call saying that he had won SR250,000 and that he would get the prize after he calls another number later and gives his SIM number and other personal information such as the Iqama (residence card) number,” Monterona said, citing his officemate regarding the fraudulent call.
He said many expatriates fall victim to such fraudsters in the Kingdom. “If you hand over the information, you’ll either be a victim of identity theft or will have your personal SIM and account, which is always registered with a telecommunication company, be used for illegal activities.”
Telecommunication companies in Saudi Arabia, as per government regulations, are required to register the SIM card of their mobile phone users for security and other reasons.
Monterona urged the expatriates who receive such calls to immediately report to the telecommunication company where his or her SIM is registered.
The Saudi Telecommunication Company is continuing to warn customers to be wary of calls from fraudsters.