Scammers change the link, the wording and who they pretend to be every week, but in the end they always ask for the same things: a verification code, a Nafath approval, a transfer, a fee before delivery, or installing an app. If someone or some link you don't know asks for any of these, stop and verify.
Someone calls or messages saying a code was sent to you by mistake, or claiming to be your bank or support, and asks you for the code.
What the scammer wants
Your verification code (OTP). With it they can get into your account or approve a transaction in your name.
What to do
Never give the code to anyone, whatever they say, even if they claim to be your bank or a government agency. The code is yours alone. If you already gave it: call your bank right away.
Example scam message (for awareness)
Hi, I sent a code to your phone by mistake, please send me the code
The scammer says “you'll get a Nafath request, pick number X”, posing as a courier, a prize or a lender, while actually logging in with your identity.
What the scammer wants
Approval of a Nafath request. Approving confirms your identity and can be used to open an account, take out financing or sign a contract in your name.
What to do
Only approve a Nafath request if you started the login yourself, right now. If you approved one you didn't start: call your bank and review your accounts immediately.
Example scam message (for awareness)
أنا مندوب التوصيل، بيوصلك طلب من نفاذ، اختر الرقم 34 عشان نأكد التسليم
A message in the name of Saudi Post or a courier: “your parcel is on hold” or “your address is incomplete”, with a link to pay a small fee. Ready-made phishing kits sell templates for exactly these messages.
What the scammer wants
Your card details and verification code, under the cover of a small fee.
What to do
Don't pay through a link you received in a message. Open the courier's official app or type its website address yourself, and track the parcel by its number.
Example scam message (for awareness)
SPL: Your parcel is on hold due to an incomplete address. Update here: https://spl-track.top/sa
A message in the name of Absher, Traffic or Passports: “update your details”, “pay your fine” or “your services will be suspended”, with a link to a fake portal that looks like the real one.
What the scammer wants
Your username, password and verification code, or your card details to pay a “fine”.
What to do
Use Absher or any government service through its official app or by typing the address yourself. Never enter your details from a link in a message, and check your fines inside Absher itself.
Example scam message (for awareness)
أبشر: سيتم إيقاف خدماتك خلال 24 ساعة لعدم تحديث بياناتك. حدث بياناتك عبر absher-sa.info
“Suspicious transaction on your account” or “your card is suspended, update your details”, with a link, or a call asking you to move your money to a “safe account”.
What the scammer wants
Your login, card details and verification code, or a transfer of your balance to the scammer's account.
What to do
Never move your money to another account to “protect” it. Hang up and call the number on the back of your card, and open your bank's app yourself, not from a link.
Example scam message (for awareness)
مصرف الراجحي: تم إيقاف بطاقتك مدى مؤقتاً، يرجى تحديث بياناتك فوراً عبر alrajhi-update.com
“Congratulations, you won” or “your points expire today, redeem now”, in the name of a telecom, store or bank, with a link or a request to pay shipping for the prize.
What the scammer wants
Your card details, to pay “shipping” for the prize or to redeem points.
What to do
A real prize never asks you to pay to receive it. Check your points in the company's official app, not through a link in a message.
An offer of “extra income” for easy tasks like liking videos or rating products on Telegram or WhatsApp. They pay small amounts for the first days, then ask for deposits to “level up” or “unfreeze” your earnings, until they disappear.
What the scammer wants
Growing deposits to level up or to withdraw your earnings.
What to do
Any job that asks you to pay to work or to withdraw your earnings is a scam. Don't deposit anything, and leave the group.
Example scam message (for awareness)
مرحبا، عندنا عمل من البيت: سوّ لايك على مقاطع يوتيوب واربح 300 ريال يومياً. تواصل مع المشرف على تيليجرام
An “advisor” offers forex or crypto trading with guaranteed or daily profits, shows fake gains on a fake platform, then asks for bigger deposits or “withdrawal fees”.
What the scammer wants
Deposits into an unlicensed platform.
What to do
There is no real investment with guaranteed profit. Only invest with entities licensed by the Capital Market Authority or the Saudi Central Bank, and check the license on their official websites.
Example scam message (for awareness)
Forex trading with guaranteed daily profit, minimum deposit 250$
A seller on social media or Haraj with a below-market price rushes you (“last piece”) and asks for a transfer or deposit to a personal account before you see the item, refusing cash on delivery.
What the scammer wants
A direct transfer or deposit to a personal account instead of a payment method that protects you.
What to do
This is a risk signal, not proof. Pay on delivery or with a method that protects you, inspect before you transfer, and check the seller's link or account here.
Example scam message (for awareness)
الجوال جديد بكرتونه بـ 1500 بس، آخر قطعة. حول عربون 300 على الآيبان وأحجزه لك
An ad for an apartment, rest house or chalet at a tempting price asks for a “booking deposit” before viewing or signing a contract, saying demand is high.
What the scammer wants
A booking deposit to a personal account for a property that may not exist.
What to do
This is a risk signal, not proof. View the property before paying, ask for a documented contract (the Ejar platform for housing), and don't transfer a deposit to someone you haven't met.
Example scam message (for awareness)
استراحة للإيجار نهاية الأسبوع بـ 600 بس، عليها طلب كثير، حول عربون 200 لتأكيد الحجز
Social media ads for Hajj packages or housing and transport in the holy sites, sometimes “without a permit” or with a “guaranteed permit”, asking for upfront payment and copies of your ID or passport.
What the scammer wants
Upfront payment and personal documents.
What to do
Hajj requires an official permit, through the Nusuk platform only. Don't pay for any package before verifying it there, and don't send ID or passport copies to a social media account.
Example scam message (for awareness)
حملة حج بأسعار مخفضة، سكن وخيام في المشاعر، احجز مقعدك بتحويل عربون 2000 ريال وأرسل صورة الهوية
“Instant financing, no guarantor, even with a bad credit record”, then a request for a “file opening fee” or “insurance” before the money is paid, or a request for a code or a Nafath approval.
What the scammer wants
Upfront fees, or your verification code and Nafath approval to take out financing in your name.
What to do
Licensed lenders don't ask for fees by transfer to a personal account before paying out. Check the lender's license with the Saudi Central Bank, and never give anyone a code or approve a Nafath request for them.
Example scam message (for awareness)
تمويل شخصي فوري بدون كفيل وبدون تحويل راتب حتى للمتعثرين، فقط سداد رسوم فتح ملف 300 ريال
A request to pay with iTunes or Google Play cards or crypto, or game currency sold at “half price” by direct transfer.
What the scammer wants
Gift card numbers, or a direct transfer that can't be reversed.
What to do
Gift cards are for gifts and stores, not for paying bills, fees or debts. Top up your games only from the game's official store or your phone's app store.
Example scam message (for awareness)
لإكمال السداد اشترِ بطاقات آيتونز بقيمة 500 ريال وارسل لي صور البطاقة
“This is my new number, my phone broke”, then an urgent, secret transfer request. With AI, scammers can even clone the voice of someone you know from a short clip.
What the scammer wants
An urgent transfer to an unknown account for a supposed emergency.
What to do
Call your relative's old number, or ask a question only they would know, before any transfer. Agree on a family code word for emergencies.
Example scam message (for awareness)
Hi Mom, this is my new number, I lost my phone. Can you send me money urgently?
A message asking you to reply with a letter like Y or the number 1, then reopen the message. iPhone disables links from unknown senders, and replying makes the phishing link clickable.
What the scammer wants
Your reply, so the phishing link becomes clickable.
What to do
Don't reply and don't tap the link. Delete the message and report it as junk.
Example scam message (for awareness)
Please reply Y, then exit the text message and reopen it to activate the link
A “bank employee” or “tech support” asks you to install an app like AnyDesk, or an APK file, to help you or recover money, then takes control of your phone and sees your messages and codes.
What the scammer wants
Installing an app that gives them full control of your phone.
What to do
Never install an app or file someone asks for in a call or message, and don't share your screen. If you installed it: disconnect from the internet, delete it, and call your bank right away.
Example scam message (for awareness)
To process your refund please download the app AnyDesk and share your screen with our support
If you already paid or shared a code
Call your bank right away and ask them to block the card or stop the transaction.
Change your passwords from a safe device, and remove any unknown device linked to your accounts.
Report it through the Kollona Amn (كلنا أمن) app.
Don't pay anyone who promises to recover your money for a fee: that's a second scam.
We update this list whenever a new tactic appears. The examples are written for awareness and any links in them are fake, so don't open them.