Bahraini companies warned over fake tender email scam

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Companies and institutions across the Kingdom of Bahrain have been urged to remain vigilant following a surge in fraudulent emails impersonating reputable organisations and falsely claiming to offer official tenders.

According to the Cybercrime Unit of the General Directorate of Anti-Corruption and Economic and Electronic Security at the Ministry of Interior, the true objective of these emails is to deceive recipients into transferring money under the guise of “refundable registration fees.”

The warning comes as part of ongoing efforts by authorities to combat cyber-enabled financial fraud and protect entities from falling victim to such schemes.

Fraudulent messages

The Cybercrime Unit emphasised that these fraudulent messages are carefully crafted to mislead recipients into believing that large-scale tenders are being issued.

Victims are asked to pay a specific fee to register for the tender and are then instructed to transfer the amount to unauthorised bank accounts, often untraceable and not associated with any official entity.

This deceptive process leaves companies vulnerable to financial fraud and direct monetary losses.

The Ministry has urged all businesses and institutions to exercise extreme caution and avoid being misled by such emails.

Authenticity

It stressed the importance of verifying the authenticity of any unsolicited offer or tender received via email.

This can be done by contacting the organization in question using official channels, such as verified phone numbers or websites, rather than relying on the contact details provided in the suspicious email.

The Cybercrime Unit advised companies to refrain from transferring any funds until the legitimacy of the tender has been confirmed.

In cases where there is any doubt or suspicion, recipients are urged to delete the email immediately, inform their internal purchasing or cybersecurity teams, and report the incident to the Ministry of Interior’s Cybercrime Unit without delay.

Awareness

The Ministry concluded its statement with a call to increase awareness among employees and stakeholders, urging all entities to share this warning across their organisations.

The message was reinforced with the slogan: “Share the warning – protect your budgets.” This warning aims to combat electronic fraud.