Fake cops, real danger

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Scammers dressed in police uniform have been making video calls to residents, posing as officers from the General Directorate of Anti-Corruption and Economic and Electronic Security.

The calls are fake. The uniforms are fake. But the threat is real. Victims are urged to hand over their bank details or personal information on the back of made-up fines or so-called expired paperwork.

The directorate issued a warning this week, saying the fraudsters were exploiting public trust in uniforms and official bearing.

The ruse is simple. A video call comes through.

Problem

On screen, a man in a sharp uniform claims there is a problem.

Something amiss with a file, or a document that needs renewing. Then the request: bank details, identification numbers, private data.

A digital message from the directorate laid it out plainly. These are not real officers. The uniforms can be faked. The names, too.

Information

It urged the public to pause, question the caller, and never share any information before confirming the source.

There was a clear line. A uniform does not make the man, nor the call official. Trust, the directorate said, should never rest on appearances alone.

People were told to hang up the moment doubt creeps in.

Request

Any request that seems odd, especially one that comes with urgency and demands for private information, ought to be treated with caution.

The right step is to contact the proper authorities through known channels and report what happened.

The directorate called this a new twist in the methods of digital theft and urged the public to stay alert, sharpen their instincts, and speak out if something feels off.