Du warns customers in Dubai against discount fraud

If someone claiming to be from Dubai-based telco du knocks on your door and offers you a discount on your bill, report to the company at once.

In SMSes sent to customers, du says some imposters claiming to be du employees will offer customers discounts.

"We have been informed that some imposters, claiming to be working for du, will offer you discounts on your du bill payments. Please do not accept any such offers. Please immediately report this to our customer care at 043905555 or fc@du.ae. These imposters are using stolen credit cards for payments," the telco said.

Both UAE telecom companies -- Etisalat and du -- regularly warn customers against fraud, be it lucky draw, promotions, or discounts.

In July, the telcos warned customers to be wary of scam callers pretending to be employees and offering lucrative promotions.

In a typical call, a supposed "employee" of one of the telecom companies would call unsuspecting victims and promise huge prizes -- sometimes of up to Dh500,000 -- provided that one gives SIM card or Emirates ID numbers, as well as bank details and other personal information.

Both du and Etisalat, however, said that no such promotions were taking place and that they were working to raise awareness among their customers, identify the scammers and stop their activities.

"We work in different ways to inform and raise awareness among customers about scammers who pose as an operator's employees and inform customers that they have won cash prizes and so on," Etisalat had said in a statement.

Additionally, Etisalat noted that the company has put several checks and balances in place to mitigate scam calls.