Ooredoo Combats Telecom Scams
Muscat, Oman
In response to an increasing number of telecom scams, Ooredoo has launched a series of technical and security measures to fight fraudulent SMS’ and calls that target its customers. During such scams, customers have reported receiving calls from people posing as Ooredoo employees, asking for personal banking information or money in order to claim a prize.
Combating this problem, Ooredoo has changed the way in which they deliver their SMS’; implementing a new set-up which will reduce the number of fraud incidents. Their new advanced filtering system will now have increased control and security for messaging, resulting in a significant reduction in the number of unsolicited SMS messages received, as well as spam. Moving forward, more tailored SMS security measures will be taken to further reduce unwanted SMS. This revolutionary change is the culmination of considerable engineering work and represents only one of the activities the company is using to address the problem.
Jim Maxwell, Chief Legal, Regulatory & Wholesale Officer at Ooredoo, said, “We have been working very closely with the TRA and other local authorities, to raise public awareness about these scams through social media and other platforms. Anyone requesting money or your banking information is likely to take it and disappear. Ooredoo never asks customers for personal banking information over the phone and we do not offer money or other prizes via SMS. Furthermore, we never request people to top up or recharge and will never request anything in return for receiving a prize. I would like to reiterate that all of our promotions and competitions are announced clearly in the press and different media channels with winners of different prizes contacted officially and never required to transfer money or furnish personal confidential information.”
He added, “The internet has opened a new avenue for scammers and we have taken exhaustive technical, engineering, and safety measures to stay on top of the problem and provide our customers with the assurance they deserve. With vigilance and the appropriate scope of preventive action taken on both sides, the number of such incidents will be significantly reduced.”
To obtain official information from Ooredoo, customers can visit any of its 38 stores or call the Contact Centre by dialling 1500 from any Ooredoo number. Additionally, users can go to one of the following official sites: @OoredooOman for Twitter, www.facebook.com/OoredooOman, www.youtube.com/OoredooOman and of course, their website: www.ooredoo.om.
About Ooredoo
Omani Qatari Telecommunications Company SAOG (“Ooredoo”) was founded and registered in the Sultanate of Oman in December 2004. It launched its service in March 2005 as the challenger mobile operator in Oman, originally operating under the name Nawras. The Company was awarded the second fixed licence in Oman in 2009, and launched its international gateway in April 2010, its corporate fixed and broadband services in May 2010, and its residential fixed and broadband services in June 2010. Since 2010, Ooredoo has been an integrated services telecommunications operator and is currently serving over 2 million customers across the Sultanate. Following a successful IPO on 1 November 2010, Ooredoo is listed on the Muscat Stock Market (MSM) under the “ORDS” ticker. Ooredoo is majority owned by Ooredoo Q.S.C. and also has a number of significant Omani shareholders which ensures that the company is strongly integrated into the Omani society. Ooredoo has won a number of awards including Jury’s Distinction Award for Customer Service Excellence in the telecom sector 2013, Leading Telecommunications Company at the Arab Achievement Awards 2013, Best Operator Network at the Telecoms World Middle East 2013 Awards and a number of awards for their outstanding campaigns at the Dubai Lynx Awards in February 2014.
Twitter: @OoredooOman
Facebook: www.facebook.com/OoredooOman
Instagram: @OoredooOman
YouTube: www.youtube.com/OoredooOman
Snapchat: Ooredoo_Oman
About Ooredoo Group
Ooredoo is a leading international communications company delivering mobile, fixed, broadband internet and corporate managed services tailored to the needs of consumers and businesses across markets in the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia. As a community-focused company, Ooredoo is guided by its vision of enriching people’s lives and its belief that it can stimulate human growth by leveraging communications to help people achieve their full potential. Ooredoo has a presence in markets such as Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Algeria, Tunisia, Iraq, Palestine, the Maldives, Myanmar and Indonesia. The company was named “Most Innovative Company of the Year – MEA Region” at the 2015 International Business Awards.
The company reported revenues of US$ 9.1 billion in 2014 and had a consolidated global customer base of 114.9 million customers as of 30 September 2015. Ooredoo’s shares are listed on the Qatar Stock Exchange and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.
Twitter: @Ooredoo
Facebook: facebook.com/ooredoogroup
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/ooredoo
YouTube: www.youtube.com/ooredoogroup
