RIYADH — The Saudi Banks Media and Awareness Committee has warned customers against falling in the trap of scammers who impersonate charitable institutions or public figures, seeking financial assistance through social media sites or instant messaging programs.

The committee stated that these fraudsters exploit victims by making them believe that they represent official bodies, by using fake documents and seals to convince them to pay financial fees to obtain assistance. It stressed that official bodies do not announce or search for beneficiaries for donations through these sites and programs.

"Fraudsters are looking for all ways to attract people, by deluding victims into believing that they are entitled to donations or support from these well-known charitable institutions that they claim to be responsible for, or by exploiting the names of legal entities that provide support and assistance, and that the person must pay some fees by transferring money or paying fees through links in order to complete the rest of the procedures," it said.

Rabah Al-Shemaisi, secretary general of the Saudi Banks Media and Awareness Committee, said that the committee calls for not responding to any party that seeks amounts or fees to obtain a donation or a specific service. She indicated that there is an increase in such fraud cases that the committee has noticed, and always advises against transferring any amounts to parties that demand this to pay any bills or service fees officially. "It is possible to benefit from the "Sadad" system available in all applications of Saudi banks and money exchanges, which is a secure system for all payments. In the event of any fraud incident, the bank must be notified immediately to take the necessary measures to recover the amounts," she said.

Rima Al-Qahtani, head of the fraud control department at the Arab National Bank, stated that there is no official body that requests fees or adds a beneficiary or adds an invoice or pays amounts in exchange for receiving donations.

These warnings come within the efforts of Saudi banks to raise awareness against financial fraud through national awareness campaigns and the need to take caution and beware of fraudsters exploiting these charitable institutions and legal entities.

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