The scams people report most, and how to avoid each one
1. Fake government texts and websites: traffic fines, eGov and eKey, "legal action" notices
This is the warning Bahraini authorities repeat most. The Interior Ministry’s anti-corruption and electronic security directorate and the General Directorate of Traffic warned about fake traffic-fine texts in October 2025 and again in January, April and August 2026. Some of the links open copies of the national portal, bahrain.bh, with the same layout and colours. A resident who paid a BD20 "fine" on such a page in 2025 saw several large foreign charges hit his card within seconds, and in July 2026 an appeals court upheld five-year sentences for three people who sent fake fine texts from SIM cards, causing losses of more than BD1,800. The National Cyber Security Center has warned about texts posing as other official bodies, and fake messages in the name of eGovBahrain and eKey and a fake "legal action" document over "electronic activity" have also been flagged. In April 2026 GDN reported pages, reached through online ads, that claimed to be the Interior Ministry and locked the browser until a "penalty fee" was paid; a security researcher it quoted counted 55 victims.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]
Reported in: Nationwide, by SMS, WhatsApp, social media and online ads
How it works
A text says you have an unpaid traffic fine or another government fee, often with a threat that it will rise or lead to legal action. The link opens a page that looks like an official portal. You enter your card details to pay a small amount, and larger charges follow at once. Other versions threaten court action over "electronic activity", or lock your browser and demand a "penalty".
Red flags
- A fine, fee or refund arriving by text or WhatsApp with a link
- A threat that the amount will rise or that legal action will follow
- A page address that is not bahrain.bh, even if it looks the same
- A government "notice" asking you to call or email the sender
- A browser page that will not close until you "pay a penalty"
How to protect yourself
- Check and pay traffic fines only on the national portal, bahrain.bh, or in the MyGov app, as the authorities advise
- Remember that eGovBahrain and eKey messages only tell you about activity on your account, never about refunds or payments
- Type the official address yourself instead of following a link
- Close a page that locks your browser; never pay to "unlock" it
If it happened to you
- Call your bank at once to block the card and dispute the charges
- Keep the text, the link and screenshots of the page
- Report to 992 or through the MyGov app, and block the sender
Where to report: Your bank first if money or card details are involved, so it can block the card and try to stop the transfer. Then the Interior Ministry’s anti-corruption and electronic security directorate on 992 or through the MyGov app. 999 in an emergency.
2. Calls and texts posing as your bank or BenefitPay, asking for a code
The Interior Ministry’s head of financial crimes said in December 2023 that the most common scams in Bahrain involve BenefitPay: a fake "employee" calls or texts and sends a link where bank details are taken, and the money is then moved quickly through several accounts so it is hard to trace. Court cases since then follow the same pattern. Twelve people were tried in 2024 for calling random numbers as payment-app staff to obtain verification codes; a 21-member network posing as bank staff took more than BD21,000 by claiming accounts needed updating or that victims had won a prize; a caller posing as a Ministry of Justice employee "recovering" money took BD1,100 with one code; and a man in his fifties lost BD12,756 in 2026 after a caller offered him a "reward" for a complaint he had made. In 2025 the anti-corruption directorate also warned about Telegram groups posing as bank chief executives and staff.[9][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][4]
Reported in: Nationwide, by phone, SMS, WhatsApp and Telegram
How it works
A caller says he is from your bank, BenefitPay, a shop or a ministry. Your data needs "updating", you have won a prize or a reward, or he can help you recover money. He sends a link or asks you to read out the code that has just arrived on your phone. That code lets him add your card or account to an app he controls and transfer your money within minutes.
Red flags
- Anyone asking for a one-time code, PIN or card number, for any reason
- A prize, reward or refund you must "confirm" by link or code
- A request to "update" your bank details by phone or link
- A bank "official" contacting you through Telegram, WhatsApp or another app
- Your phone suddenly losing signal, which can mean someone obtained a SIM in your name
How to protect yourself
- Never share a verification code, PIN or card details by phone, whoever asks
- If you have won a draw, call the bank or shop on its official number; the Hidd Police Station head says they already have your details and never ask for your CPR, account number or OTP
- Read SMS alerts from your bank and act on anything you did not do
- If your SIM stops working without reason, call your bank and your mobile operator at once
If it happened to you
- Call your bank at once to freeze your cards and accounts
- Report to 992 or through the MyGov app
- Keep the caller’s number, messages and the transfer details
Where to report: Your bank first if money or card details are involved, so it can block the card and try to stop the transfer. Then the Interior Ministry’s anti-corruption and electronic security directorate on 992 or through the MyGov app. 999 in an emergency.
3. Fake online shops, rentals and deposits: Instagram stores, abayas, cars, pools and wedding packages
The Cybercrime Directorate said in February 2026 that fake Instagram accounts copying the names, logos and posts of well-known stores are among the most widespread online frauds. The anti-corruption directorate has also warned about fake stores exploiting iPhone launches (September 2025), abaya offers before Ramadan and Eid (March 2025), fake car-tinting businesses (August 2025) and callers posing as well-known public figures who sell "imported" cars at a special price (April 2025). The head of Hidd Police Station said in July 2026 that people keep paying deposits for pools seen only on TikTok or Instagram, cars, custom furniture, abayas, tents and concert tickets, and in October 2026 he warned again against paying a deposit for a car seen only online. Consumer Protection at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce has warned about fake wedding planners and online shops that take full payment and vanish. Reported cases include an Eid dress paid for by BenefitPay that never arrived and a car sold "on instalments" whose seller disappeared after the payment.[39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][48][49][50][51][52]
Reported in: Nationwide, through Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp and search ads
How it works
An account or ad offers goods or a booking below the usual price, often with copied photos and fake reviews. The seller moves you to WhatsApp, asks for a deposit or full payment by BenefitPay or transfer, and promises delivery or a contract the next day. After the payment the number stops answering or blocks you. Some fake shops appear at the top of search results.
Red flags
- A price well below other shops
- Payment in advance by transfer or BenefitPay, before you see the item or sign anything
- A move from the shop’s page to WhatsApp
- An account copying a known store but with little real history
- A "public figure" calling you with a special deal
How to protect yourself
- See the item, car or place in person before you pay anything
- Check the business’s commercial registration (CR) and a real address, as the directorate advises
- Buy through a store’s official website, app or branch
- Prefer a credit card or cash on delivery over transfers, and do not save card details in sites and apps
If it happened to you
- Call your bank at once
- Keep the ad, the account name, the chat and the payment receipt
- Report to 992 or through the MyGov app
Where to report: Your bank first if money or card details are involved, so it can block the card and try to stop the transfer. Then the Interior Ministry’s anti-corruption and electronic security directorate on 992 or through the MyGov app. 999 in an emergency.
4. People posing as police or Interior Ministry staff: video calls, "national alert" calls and fake officers in person
In July 2025 the anti-corruption directorate said it had received several complaints about video calls from people in police uniforms who claimed the person’s documents had expired or that they had broken the law, and then asked for personal and bank details. During the attacks on Bahrain in March 2026 it warned about callers claiming to be from the Interior Ministry who asked people to "confirm" they had received national alerts and then asked for their full name and CPR number. The same month, residents told the Daily Tribune about well-dressed visitors going door to door with laptops and fingerprint devices, saying they were checking IDs for a census; this came from residents, not from the ministry. Fake officers also operate in person: two men posing as police robbed a man in Busaiteen (jailed in 2024), and in August 2025 Northern Governorate Police arrested a man who posed as security personnel to steal from mobile phone shops.[53][54][55][56][57][58][1]
Reported in: Nationwide; in-person cases reported in Busaiteen and the Northern Governorate
How it works
Someone calls, video-calls or knocks on your door and says he is from the police or the Interior Ministry. There is a problem with your documents, a violation, or a check you must complete now. He asks for your CPR, card, codes or photos, or tries to take your wallet or phone. A uniform on a video call proves nothing.
Red flags
- Police or ministry contact by WhatsApp video call
- A request for your CPR number, card details or a code to "confirm" something
- Threats about expired documents or legal violations
- Visitors at your door collecting fingerprints or ID photos without notice
- A "police officer" in plain clothes who wants your wallet or card
How to protect yourself
- Hang up and call the police directorate for your governorate on the number listed by the Interior Ministry
- Do not let unannounced "officials" into your home; ask for identification and check it with the ministry first
- Never share your CPR, card or codes on a call
- If someone claiming to be police threatens you in person, call 999
If it happened to you
- If you shared card details, call your bank at once
- Report the number or the visit to 992, or call 999 if you are in danger
- Note the time, place, number and any description
Where to report: Call 999 if you are in danger. Otherwise report to the Interior Ministry’s anti-corruption and electronic security directorate on 992 or through the MyGov app, or call your governorate police directorate.
5. Fake parcel, courier and delivery-app messages
In March 2026 the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications, through Bahrain Post, warned about WhatsApp messages impersonating the postal service that ask people to track a parcel through untrusted links, and said its official messages come only from the number 39750162. The anti-corruption directorate’s organised-crime monitoring chief said in 2025 that people who order from popular shopping sites receive messages, supposedly from the shop or courier, asking them to update their address and card details or lose the parcel. GDN noted in July 2026 that fake courier-charge texts arrive daily, and in March 2026 the directorate called a circulating message saying food delivery apps had leaked stored cards "false and misleading".[59][51][44][55]
Reported in: Nationwide, by SMS and WhatsApp
How it works
A message says your parcel is held, needs a small customs or delivery fee, or will be returned unless you update your details. The link opens a tracking or payment page that collects your address and card number.
Red flags
- A parcel message you did not expect, or one for an order already delivered
- A small fee to "release" a parcel
- Bahrain Post messages from any number other than 39750162
- A request to update your card details for a delivery
How to protect yourself
- Track parcels only in the shop’s or courier’s own app or website
- Treat Bahrain Post messages from other numbers as unreliable
- Do not open links in delivery messages; type the address yourself
If it happened to you
- Call your bank to block the card
- Report to 992 or through the MyGov app
- Block nuisance senders by texting "block" and the sender ID to 88444, a free TRA service
Where to report: Your bank first if money or card details are involved, so it can block the card and try to stop the transfer. Then the Interior Ministry’s anti-corruption and electronic security directorate on 992 or through the MyGov app. 999 in an emergency.
6. Investment, crypto and "money doubling" schemes, and the risk of lending your account
The Central Bank of Bahrain lists the forms unlicensed financial activity takes: forex and crypto platforms, trading apps, Ponzi schemes and unlicensed lending, promoted with "guaranteed" or unusually high returns, fake licences, celebrity endorsements and pressure to invest at once. In June 2025 the anti-corruption directorate warned about an AI deepfake video of a minister promoting a get-rich-quick scheme, and in July 2026 police said fake news clips made with AI show public figures recommending "profitable" ventures that do not exist. In a court case a young man who promised 10% a month on a crypto platform he said he ran collected about BD382,000 from 19 people without a Central Bank licence; he was sentenced to five years and a BD100,000 fine. In June 2025 three people were arrested for claiming they could turn ordinary paper into foreign banknotes. Your own account can also be pulled in: in 2026 a court cleared a man after a gang posing as investment firms got into his banking apps and used his account to move stolen money.[2][5][60][44][61][62][63][64][65][75][37]
Reported in: Nationwide, on social media, Telegram, WhatsApp and in person
How it works
An ad, video or new acquaintance shows easy profits from trading, crypto or a private platform. You start small and see gains on screen, then are asked to send more, often to accounts in other people’s names. Other versions promise to multiply cash, or offer you a fee for receiving and forwarding money.
Red flags
- Guaranteed returns or a fixed 10% a month
- A minister, sheikh or celebrity "endorsing" a platform in a video
- Pressure to invest now, and contact only by social media or messaging apps
- Payments to personal or overseas accounts
- Anyone who says they can multiply money or turn paper into cash
How to protect yourself
- Check that the firm or person is licensed in the Central Bank’s Licensing Directory and check the commercial registration number before paying
- Never let anyone use your bank account, banking app or SIM card
- Ignore unsolicited investment offers and AI videos of public figures
If it happened to you
- Stop paying and tell your bank
- Report to the Central Bank through its online complaint form or to 992
- Do not pay anyone who offers to recover your money for a fee
Where to report: Your bank, then 992 or the MyGov app. To check or report an unlicensed financial activity: the Central Bank of Bahrain’s Licensing Directory and online complaint form, or its Consumer Protection office on 17547789.
7. Fake travel bookings and holiday packages
Police in the Capital and Muharraq governorates each arrested a man in July 2024 who advertised cheap flight tickets on social media, sold them, then cancelled the bookings and kept the refunds; both directorates told people to deal only with licensed travel agencies. In August 2024 the Foreign Ministry urged travellers to check agency licences after repeated fake bookings, including a case where a hotel abroad held the passports of 140 Bahraini travellers after their agent disappeared. In 2025 the Daily Tribune reported residents who paid for "stopover" holiday packages sold after lucky draws in malls and never travelled. In January 2026 the Interior Ministry arrested a travel-agency owner and another man over fictitious travel packages, and the Public Prosecution detained two people over discounted travel ads on social media.[66][67][68][69][70][71]
Reported in: Nationwide; arrests by Capital and Muharraq police
How it works
A social-media account or a stand in a mall offers flights or holiday packages far below normal prices, sometimes after telling you that you won a draw. You pay, receive a booking reference, and later find the booking was cancelled or never existed.
Red flags
- Tickets much cheaper than on the airline’s own site
- A "lucky draw" win that requires you to buy a package
- A seller who is not a licensed travel agency
- Flexible "travel any time within three years" deals paid in full upfront
How to protect yourself
- Book directly with the airline or a licensed travel agency
- Check the booking reference on the airline’s own website straight after paying
- Do not buy packages under pressure at a mall stand
If it happened to you
- Ask your bank to dispute a card payment
- Report to the police or to 992 or the MyGov app
- Consumer complaints can also go to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce
Where to report: Your bank first if money or card details are involved, so it can block the card and try to stop the transfer. Then the Interior Ministry’s anti-corruption and electronic security directorate on 992 or through the MyGov app. 999 in an emergency.
8. Fake job, training and recruitment offers
In April 2025 the Labour Ministry asked people to report fake job and training offers made in the names of non-existent companies, some of them seen on its own employment platforms or at its virtual job fairs, and to send any evidence through official channels; a month later it said every company listed on its platform is licensed. MPs raised cases of "stay-at-home" jobs offered to help people qualify for government employment support. In 2022 the LMRA and the Interior Ministry referred to prosecution an unlicensed office that posted false jobs on social media and brought workers into Bahrain for money. In December 2025 a jobseeker abroad told the Daily Tribune he paid about BD538 over several months to a social-media "recruiter" who then blocked him.[72][73][8][74][75][87][88]
Reported in: Nationwide and from abroad, through social media, WhatsApp and LinkedIn
How it works
A "recruiter" or company offers a job or paid training, then asks for fees for a visa, medical test, contract or ticket, often in instalments. Some fake jobs ask you to receive and send money as "payroll", which can make you part of a money-laundering case.
Red flags
- Any fee to get a job or a visa
- A recruiter who only uses WhatsApp or social media
- A company you cannot find in official records
- A job that consists of moving money through your own account
How to protect yourself
- Check the employer’s commercial registration and that a recruitment office is licensed by the LMRA
- Apply through the company’s official channels or the Labour Ministry’s platforms
- Never pay a recruiter into a personal account
If it happened to you
- Stop paying and keep every message and receipt
- Report to the Labour Ministry through its official channels and to 992
- If you came to Bahrain for a job that turned out to be exploitation, call the LMRA hotline 995
Where to report: The Labour Ministry through its official channels (workers with a valid permit can file a labour complaint in person or on 17873637 or 17873919), the LMRA hotline 995 for exploitation or trafficking, and the Interior Ministry’s anti-corruption and electronic security directorate on 992 or through the MyGov app.
9. Hacked WhatsApp and social accounts: a "friend" who urgently needs money
The anti-corruption directorate warned in 2024 about WhatsApp messages that seem to come from a friend or relative urgently asking for money, sent from a hacked phone, and told people to confirm by a call or in person before sending anything. It has also warned business owners about fake services offering to "verify" their Instagram accounts, which aim to take money and account access. In August 2026 the Interior Ministry set out what to do if you think your phone has been hacked: freeze your bank accounts first, report transfers you did not make, report to 992 or the MyGov app, reset the phone and change your passwords from another device.[76][13][50]
Reported in: Nationwide, through WhatsApp, Instagram and other apps
How it works
A friend’s account messages you about an emergency and asks for a quick transfer or a code that was "sent to you by mistake". The account has been taken over and the message goes to everyone in the contact list.
Red flags
- An urgent money request by message only
- A "friend" who cannot talk on the phone right now
- A request to forward a code you just received
- An offer to "verify" or "recover" your account for a fee
How to protect yourself
- Call the person on a number you already know before sending money
- Turn on two-step verification in WhatsApp and your social apps
- Never forward a verification code
If it happened to you
- If money was sent, call your bank at once
- Freeze your accounts if your own phone may be hacked, then reset it and change passwords from a trusted device, as the Interior Ministry advises
- Report to 992 or through the MyGov app
Where to report: Your bank first if money or card details are involved, so it can block the card and try to stop the transfer. Then the Interior Ministry’s anti-corruption and electronic security directorate on 992 or through the MyGov app. 999 in an emergency.
10. Street currency exchange "deals" and cash handovers
The head of Hidd Police Station described a 2025 case in which a man answered a social-media account offering dollars and euros at better than market rates, contacted the seller on a WhatsApp number registered in a neighbouring country, and went to a meeting with BD1,200 in an envelope; two men snatched it and ran. He first told police the money had been stolen from his car, which delayed the investigation. In September 2024 Capital Governorate Police arrested a man who promised two people foreign currency below exchange-house rates, then took their BD5,800 and fled.[77][78][65]
Reported in: Reported in the Capital and through the Hidd Police Station
How it works
Someone online offers currency at a rate better than any exchange house and arranges to meet you in a public place with cash. During the "exchange" the money is snatched, or you receive fake or too little currency.
Red flags
- A rate better than the official market
- A seller using a foreign WhatsApp number
- A meeting in a car park or street with a cash envelope
How to protect yourself
- Exchange money only at banks and licensed exchange houses
- Never carry large amounts of cash to meet a stranger
If it happened to you
- Report to the police at once and tell them everything, including how you were approached; police say leaving details out slows the case
- Call 999 if you are threatened
Where to report: Your governorate police directorate or 999 in an emergency; online scams to 992 or the MyGov app.
11. Online blackmail, fake romance and threats to children
The Interior Ministry’s Child Protection Unit in Cyberspace arrested two teenagers in September 2025 for threatening and blackmailing a 14-year-old on social media, and the same month a 22-year-old accused of trapping and blackmailing a 13-year-old girl. In 2026 a man was referred to trial for threatening to leak a 17-year-old’s images unless she paid and handed over her gold. The head of Hidd Police Station has asked parents to promise their children they will not be punished or lose screen time for reporting a stranger, so that children speak up early. Adults are targeted too: in 2024 the ministry’s financial crimes division warned about fake marriage offers that show photos of women abroad, build trust over weeks and then ask for a "dowry", tickets and visa fees, sometimes through a payment link.[79][80][81][82][83]
Reported in: Nationwide, through social media, games and messaging apps
How it works
A stranger, often posing as a young woman or a friendly peer, builds trust and asks for private photos or a video call, then demands money or more images under threat. Romance versions move from friendship to marriage plans, then to fees.
Red flags
- A new contact who quickly asks for private photos
- A stranger in a game asking a child to move to another app
- A demand for money with a deadline and a threat to share images
- A marriage offer with a large "reward" or a dowry paid in advance
How to protect yourself
- Never send private images to someone you have not met
- Parents: know the apps and games your children use and keep talking about strangers
- Tell children to take screenshots, not reply, and show a parent
If it happened to you
- Do not pay; paying usually leads to more demands
- Keep the messages and account names
- For a child, contact the Child Protection Unit on 33523300 or call 992
Where to report: The Interior Ministry’s Child Protection Unit in Cyberspace on 33523300 for cases involving children, or the anti-corruption and electronic security directorate on 992. 999 in an emergency.
City by city
Capital Governorate (Manama)
No authority publishes fraud figures by governorate. Capital Governorate Police announced two arrests in 2024 that match the national patterns: a man who sold cheap flight tickets on social media, then cancelled them and kept the refunds, and a man who took BD5,800 from two people with a promise of cheap foreign currency. Later in 2024 a man was jailed for five years for persuading jewellers in the capital that he had paid by BenefitPay when he had not. In 2025 the Daily Tribune reported complaints against a Gudaibiya travel firm over holiday packages sold after mall lucky draws.[66][78][84][69][20][1]
- The Economic Crimes Directorate, which handles online fraud, takes reports in Adliya as well as on 992
- Shops: confirm a BenefitPay payment has arrived in your own app before handing over goods
Where to report: Capital Governorate Police Directorate 17291555, or 992 and the MyGov app for fraud. 999 in an emergency.
Muharraq Governorate (including Hidd and Busaiteen)
Muharraq Governorate Police arrested a man in July 2024 who advertised discounted flight tickets on social media, bought them at full price, cancelled them and kept the refunds. In May 2024 the Muharraq chief prosecutor announced a case against a group who used fake social-media accounts to sell electronics at unusually low prices and delivered cheap substitutes. In Busaiteen two men posing as police took a man’s wallet and bank card and were jailed for five years. Many of the Interior Ministry’s national scam warnings come from the head of Hidd Police Station on the ministry’s Al Aman programme; those describe national trends, not Muharraq alone.[67][47][57][44][1]
Where to report: Muharraq Governorate Police Directorate 17390185, or 992 and the MyGov app for fraud. 999 in an emergency.
Northern Governorate
We found only one fraud-related case announced for this governorate in 2024 to 2026: in August 2025 its police directorate arrested a 42-year-old man who posed as security personnel to steal from mobile phone shops, and who was also linked to similar cases in other governorates. That is too little to describe a local pattern, so the national advice above applies.[58][1]
Where to report: Northern Governorate Police Directorate 17403111, or 992 and the MyGov app for fraud. 999 in an emergency.
Southern Governorate
We found one fraud case announced by the Southern Governorate Police Directorate in 2024 to 2026: in March 2026 it arrested a 53-year-old man who sold mobile phones on instalments and then altered the signed contracts to inflate the amounts owed. Keep a copy of any contract you sign, with the price written in. Beyond that, the national advice above applies.[86][1]
Where to report: Southern Governorate Police Directorate 17664606, or 992 and the MyGov app for fraud. 999 in an emergency.
Where to report a scam in Bahrain
Channels named on official websites and in official statements from 2024 to 2026. In an emergency, or if someone claiming to be police is threatening you, call 999.
| Situation | Channel | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Money taken from your card or account | Your bank’s hotline first, to block the card and freeze the account; then the police | Ministry of Interior |
| Online fraud, scam calls, texts or fake accounts | Anti-corruption and electronic security directorate hotline 992, or the MyGov app; the Economic Crimes Directorate also takes reports in Adliya | Ministry of Interior |
| A child threatened or blackmailed online | Child Protection Unit in Cyberspace on 33523300, or 992 | Ministry of Interior |
| Traffic fines | Check and pay only on bahrain.bh or in the MyGov app | Ministry of Interior |
| Unlicensed investment or financial activity | Central Bank of Bahrain online complaint form or 992; check the CBB Licensing Directory first | Central Bank of Bahrain |
| A complaint about a bank or licensed financial firm | CBB Consumer Protection office, 17547789 | Central Bank of Bahrain |
| Nuisance or spam text messages | Text "block" and the sender ID to 88444 (free); fraud itself goes to the Interior Ministry | Telecommunications Regulatory Authority |
| Messages claiming to be Bahrain Post | Official messages come only from 39750162 | Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications |
| Someone posing as police in person | 999, or your governorate police directorate | Ministry of Interior |
| A dispute with your employer, or exploitation or trafficking | Ministry of Labour complaints service in person, on 17873637 or 17873919, or online; LMRA hotline 995 | Ministry of Labour, LMRA |
The Interior Ministry’s advice is the same in almost every warning: if money has left your account, call your bank first so it can freeze your accounts, then report to 992 or the MyGov app and keep every message and receipt.
Five habits that stop most of these scams
The Interior Ministry, the Central Bank and the National Cyber Security Center repeat the same rules: officials and banks never ask for your codes, and official notices come through official channels.
- Never share a one-time code, PIN, card number or CPR details by phone, text or video call
- Check fines and government fees only on bahrain.bh or in the MyGov app
- Never pay a deposit for something you have only seen online
- Check that investment firms are licensed by the Central Bank of Bahrain before paying
- Turn on two-step verification in WhatsApp and read every SMS alert from your bank
If you have been scammed: the first hour
Stolen money is usually moved through several accounts or abroad within minutes, so speed matters.
- Call your bank’s hotline to block cards and freeze accounts, and report every transaction you did not make
- Report to 992 or through the MyGov app
- Keep screenshots, numbers, links, chats and receipts
- If your phone may be hacked, reset it and change passwords from another device
- Ignore anyone who offers to recover your money for a fee
For shops and companies
Businesses are targeted too. In the Capital a man persuaded five jewellers that he had paid by BenefitPay when no money had arrived, and in 2026 a company paid a supplier invoice to a fraudster after an email from an address one letter different from the supplier’s asked it to change the bank details. The Southern Governorate Police also arrested a phone seller who altered signed instalment contracts.
- Confirm every BenefitPay or transfer payment in your own banking app before handing over goods
- Call a supplier on a known number before changing any bank details sent by email
- Check sender addresses letter by letter
- Give customers a copy of every signed contract