The interior ministry warned on Jan. 27 against fraudulent text messages asking people to pay a traffic fine of KD 20 (arond NTD2,000)within a limited period and warning that failure to pay will increase the fine to KD 200. A large number of people received the text messages on their mobiles in the past few hours and warned the public against responding to the messages.
The messages demanded immediate payment of a traffic fine of KD 20, threatening that the amount will be increased to KD 200 in case of non-payment. The statement said the ministry does not send traffic violations through text messages but only through the Sahel application, where the payment can be made easily. The messages asked people to respond by sending “y” and then opening the attached link.
The ministry said such messages are a new form of fraud aimed at hacking the bank accounts of citizens and residents and stealing their money. The ministry warned that responding to the messages could result in “the immediate withdrawal of bank balances or the theft of personal data and financial accounts”.
