MP calls for action against cyber fraud

Manama : Stricter measures to curb rising cyber fraud is the need of the hour, according to a Bahrain lawmaker.

MP Jamal Dawood was speaking in the wake of rising crime on social media and noted that conmen were misusing the names of reputed families in Bahrain and the GCC in a bid to trick people to extract money.

“The Bahraini society must be alerted about such practices. These fraud operations are run by anonymous parties who exploit the names of royal family members in the GCC. They send random messages to Internet users, asking them to transfer money or share private information,” Mr Dawood elaborated.

“They obtain money by claiming that it will reach the destitute people in the regional countries. Fraudsters use the names of royal families in the GCC for credibility among the people.”

The lawmaker urged the Interior Ministry's General Directorate of Anti-corruption and Economic and Electronic Security to look into the matter.

“These people should be exposed. So warnings should be circulated to raise more awareness among the people.”

DT News had reported last month about a fake Facebook page that claimed to belong to His Majesty the King’s Representative for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, Supreme Council for Youth and Sports Chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee President HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

A source close to HH Shaikh Nasser confirmed to DT News back then that the fake page was created to rob people.

The advertisement on that page had promised a brand new luxury car to one lucky winner, while requesting the users to follow certain steps : sharing the page on their personal pages and inviting friends to ‘Like’ it.