Ten men were arrested in Abu Dhabi on Sunday for scamming mobile phone users out of money through fake promotional offers.
The gang, all of Asian origin, would send out SMS messages or call people persuading them to transfer money to currency exchange companies or phone credits as fees to receive prizes.
Police at Al Rahba Station first became aware of the scam after receiving reports from people who had been tricked into spending their savings on fake prizes, Brigadier Rashid Al Mesmari, Director of the External Regions Police of the Criminal Security Sector said.
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Police investigated the matter, identified the suspects and tracked their movements – which they described as being similar to a spider’s webs, reported state news agency Wam.
The gang was arrested in an operation code-named "The Spiders". Police also seized forged documents, devices and tools, as well as phones and cards used in the fraud.
Brig Al Mesmari warned mobile phone users to be wary of such scams and to report any suspected fraudulent messages to police immediately to avoid others being scammed.
