The scams people report most, and how to avoid each one
1. Fake ads and "deposit" scams: goods, flats, houses, rest houses and insurance
The Royal Oman Police (ROP) named fake low-price adverts on marketplaces, where a deposit is taken and the seller vanishes, as the most common cyber fraud method in the first half of 2025. In September 2025 an ROP officer described a surge of social-media ads for apartments and farms at unrealistic prices. Police have announced several arrests since, including one person linked to more than 60 online cases in Muscat in October 2026, using ads for goods, services and rentals paid into other people’s accounts. The ROP also warned in April 2026 about fake Instagram profiles posing as insurance companies, and the Ministry of Commerce warned in 2025 about fake online stores, including a forged "ministerial statement" used to make them look approved.[5][1][37][11][38][39]
Reported in: Nationwide, mostly on Instagram, WhatsApp and marketplace apps
How it works
An advert shows a phone, car part, flat, rest house or insurance policy well below the normal price. The seller asks for a deposit to "hold" it, or the full amount before you can see it, often into an account or phone number in someone else’s name. Once paid, the seller stops answering and the advert disappears.
Red flags
- A price far below the market
- A deposit (arboon) demanded before you can view or sign
- Payment to a personal account or a number in another person’s name
- A seller or "insurer" that exists only as a social-media profile
How to protect yourself
- View a property in person and pay only after a written contract, through a traceable channel
- Check an online store on Maroof Oman and that its contact details match its commercial registration
- Buy insurance only through the insurer’s official app, website or branch
- Use a separate prepaid or low-limit card for online purchases, as the ROP advises
If it happened to you
- Call your bank at once and ask it to stop or recall the transfer
- Keep the advert, chats, account number and receipts
- Report to the ROP on 80077444 or at a police station
Where to report: Your bank first if money is involved, then the Royal Oman Police toll-free line 80077444 or the nearest police station. 9999 in an emergency. Report the number or link on the Turs platform.
2. Fake official websites and links: traffic fines, complaints portals and regulators
The ROP says copies of official platforms that appear at the top of search results are one of the most common methods. It has warned at least three times (September 2024, March 2025 and December 2025) about a site imitating the Consumer Protection Authority, and in March 2026 about a copy of the ROP portal itself. The Financial Services Authority said in August 2024 that people searching for it online were sent to fake sites and then contacted on WhatsApp by fake staff. In 2025 the ROP warned about a fake complaints site; the real national platform, Tajawob, charges no fees and never asks for bank data. Fake traffic-fine messages are a repeated theme: a "40% discount" site in June 2025, a text demanding payment within 12 hours in September 2026, and "up to 50% off" links the same month. Police arrested two people behind a lookalike site in March 2025.[5][19][21][22][23][24][25][27][28][29][30][31]
Reported in: Nationwide
How it works
You search for a government service, or a text says you owe a fine or can get a discount. The site looks official. It asks for a small fee or your card details, then for the one-time code sent to your phone, and the money is moved out within minutes, often through other accounts and cryptocurrency platforms.
Red flags
- A government site reached from a search ad or a link in a text
- A fine or "discount" with a deadline of hours
- A complaints or service site that asks for card details or a fee
- Any page asking for the one-time code you just received
How to protect yourself
- Type the official address yourself or use the official app; do not trust the top search result
- Check traffic fines only through official ROP channels
- Remember that Tajawob charges no fees, and neither Tajawob nor the Consumer Protection Authority asks for card data
- Never share Oman Business Platform codes; the Ministry of Commerce says they can be used to open records in your name
If it happened to you
- Call your bank to freeze the card or account
- Change any password you entered
- Report to the ROP and report the link on the Turs platform
Where to report: Your bank first if money is involved, then the Royal Oman Police toll-free line 80077444 or the nearest police station. 9999 in an emergency. Report the number or link on the Turs platform.
3. Calls posing as your bank, the central bank or a telecom company
Police have announced repeated arrests of people who phoned victims claiming to be bank or telecom staff: four in February 2024 for "update your bank data" calls, six in October 2024, three in February 2025 for "your card is invalid" calls, and five in Al Dakhiliyah in 2024 who posed as a telecom company. In one 2024 case a woman shared a code with a caller posing as her bank and lost more than OMR10,000. In July 2024 the ROP and the Central Bank of Oman (CBO) warned about accounts posing as CBO staff and offering quick personal loans; the CBO does not lend to individuals. In November 2025 the CBO repeated that licensed banks do not ask for banking or personal details by phone or unofficial channels.[3][61][62][33][57][32][34][17][16]
Reported in: Nationwide
How it works
A caller says your card is invalid or blocked, your data must be updated, or you qualify for a loan or a prize. They may already know your name or even your balance, which the ROP says is used to win trust. They then ask for your card number, PIN, CVV or the code just sent to your phone.
Red flags
- Any request for an OTP, PIN, CVV or full card number
- An "update your data" call from a bank
- A "central bank" account offering personal loans
- A request to install an app or do something on your phone while on the call
How to protect yourself
- Hang up and call the number on the back of your card
- Never install an app because a caller asks
- Turn on two-factor authentication for banking and email
If it happened to you
- Call your bank at once to freeze the card and account
- Report to the ROP on 80077444 or at a police station, with the caller’s number
Where to report: Your bank first if money is involved, then the Royal Oman Police toll-free line 80077444 or the nearest police station. 9999 in an emergency. Report the number or link on the Turs platform.
4. Investment, crypto and pyramid schemes
At its February 2026 media briefing the Public Prosecution said fraud offences rose 26% in 2025 and that pyramid schemes are where most victims fall, with some offenders promising monthly returns of up to 30%. The Ministry of Commerce added that "network marketing" labels can hide pyramid structures, which are banned. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) warned in March 2025 about unlicensed online platforms offering crypto, gold, oil-linked products and foreign shares with quick high returns and referral bonuses, and in April 2026 urged investors to deal only with licensed entities. The ROP says crypto platforms are a favoured setting for fraud, where small early profits lead to larger deposits that cannot be withdrawn. It has also warned about ads offering foreign currency at far below the bank rate.[2][1][43][44][4][45]
Reported in: Nationwide, mostly online
How it works
A friend, an advert or a group chat offers a fixed monthly return, a share in a trading platform or a place in a "network marketing" scheme. Early small payouts arrive, so you put in more and recruit others. When you try to withdraw, you are told to pay a fee first, and then the platform or the organiser disappears.
Red flags
- A fixed monthly return, especially anything near 30%
- A buy-in plus bonuses for recruiting others
- Withdrawals blocked until you pay a "fee"
- Foreign currency offered at a fraction of the bank rate
How to protect yourself
- Check the FSA list of licensed entities before investing
- Treat "network marketing" with an upfront buy-in as a pyramid warning sign
- Never exchange cash with strangers; use banks and licensed exchange houses
If it happened to you
- Stop further payments and call your bank
- Keep the platform name, wallet addresses, chats and receipts
- Report to the ROP, and ignore offers to recover the money for a fee
Where to report: Your bank first if money is involved, then the Royal Oman Police toll-free line 80077444 or the nearest police station. 9999 in an emergency. Report the number or link on the Turs platform.
5. Fake police and officials on video calls, including deepfakes (rising)
The ROP has warned since September 2025 about scammers using Google Meet, IMO and other apps with the ROP logo or photos of uniformed officers as their profile. In October 2025 it linked part of the 50% rise in cyber fraud to deepfake images and video of real government employees used on video calls. In April 2026 it issued another advisory: callers posing as police officers or government staff threaten legal action to create panic, then ask for a code or ID details. In May 2026 it warned about fake recruitment ads in its own name, made with AI-generated images.[26][5][6][7][35][20][36]
Reported in: Nationwide
How it works
A video call or message comes from someone in uniform, or with an official logo, saying there is a case against you or a problem with your documents. To "clear" it, you must confirm your identity by reading out a code that has just arrived, or share your ID and bank details.
Red flags
- Police or officials contacting you by video call or a messaging app
- A uniform or logo as the profile picture
- Threats of arrest or legal action unless you act now
- Any request for a one-time code or ID details
How to protect yourself
- End the call; police do not settle cases over messaging apps
- Check any claim through official ROP channels or at a police station
- Ignore job ads using the ROP name outside its official site
If it happened to you
- Call your bank if you shared a code or card details
- Report the account or number to the ROP
Where to report: Your bank first if money is involved, then the Royal Oman Police toll-free line 80077444 or the nearest police station. 9999 in an emergency. Report the number or link on the Turs platform.
6. Fake domestic-worker offers, job offers and "money mule" jobs
The ROP warned in March 2025 about social-media ads offering domestic workers at attractive prices with a link that was then used to take money from bank accounts, and repeated the warning in its 2025 trend statements about fake Instagram accounts copying real recruitment platforms. It also warned in 2024 about fake job offers by text aimed at young people, and in 2025 about "financial agent" jobs from abroad that ask you to receive money into your own account and pass it on, which exposes you to money-laundering charges. In July 2026 the national anti-trafficking committee and the ROP warned that fake overseas job offers are being used to trap people and force them into online fraud work.[40][41][3][42][13][70]
Reported in: Nationwide, mostly on social media and by text
How it works
An advert offers a housemaid quickly and cheaply, or a message offers easy paid "tasks" or a remote job. You pay a fee through a link, or you are asked to receive and forward money. Small "earnings" may be paid first to build trust before larger payments are demanded.
Red flags
- A domestic worker "available now" at a low price through a link
- A job that pays for simple online "tasks"
- A request to receive money into your account and forward it
- Recruitment fees to a personal account
How to protect yourself
- Recruit only through licensed offices and the Ministry of Labour’s official channels
- Check vacancies on the employer’s own website
- Never lend your bank account or card to anyone
If it happened to you
- Call your bank at once, especially if money passed through your account
- Report to the ROP and keep all messages
- If an employer or recruitment office in Oman is involved, you can also file a free labour complaint with the Ministry of Labour
Where to report: Your bank first if money is involved, then the Royal Oman Police toll-free line 80077444 or the nearest police station. 9999 in an emergency. Report the number or link on the Turs platform. Disputes with an employer: the Ministry of Labour’s labour complaints e-service or its call centre 80077000.
7. Online blackmail, including children in online games
The Public Prosecution ran an awareness campaign on online blackmail in May 2026, and the ROP issued its own message in September 2026: do not reply or negotiate, keep all evidence and report it. In October 2026 the ROP warned that offenders build trust with children in online game chats, then push them to send images, including of family members, and extort them. Cases reported in 2025 include six people in Al Dakhiliyah who posed online as a young woman and extorted more than OMR200,000 from a man. Blackmail is a crime under the Law on Combating Cybercrime issued in June 2026.[50][51][52][53][12]
Reported in: Nationwide, online
How it works
A new online contact, in a social app or a game chat, builds a friendly or romantic connection and asks for private photos or a video call. Then comes the threat: pay, or the material goes to your family or friends. With children, the demand can be for more images or for money taken from home.
Red flags
- A new contact who quickly asks for private images or video calls
- Threats to share material with family or contacts
- A child who becomes secretive about their phone or takes money from home
How to protect yourself
- Do not share private images with people you have not met
- Keep game and social accounts private and talk to children about who they chat with
- If your child is targeted, stay calm so they keep telling you
If it happened to you
- Do not pay and do not reply
- Block the account but keep screenshots, usernames and messages
- Report to the ROP on 80077444 straight away
Where to report: Royal Oman Police on 80077444 (its line for cyber blackmail) or the nearest police station. 9999 in an emergency.
8. Fake charity appeals and unlicensed fundraising
A senior public prosecutor said in 2025 that fraudulent accounts and websites posing as charities had diverted "millions of rials". The Ministry of Social Development detected 67 cases of unauthorised fundraising in the year to March 2026, worth about RO30,000, and asked people to give only through licensed bodies and its official Jood platform. Individuals may not collect or advertise donations personally, and the Ministry of Commerce warned in June 2026 that companies and influencers may not promote donation campaigns, such as drilling wells abroad, without permits. The ROP says many beggars are controlled by organised networks.[1][46][47][59][48][49]
Reported in: Nationwide, online and in person; highest around Ramadan
How it works
A post, text or influencer shows a sick person, a family in need or a well to be dug abroad and asks for a transfer to a personal account or a payment link. There is no licensed charity behind it, and the money goes to the organiser.
Red flags
- A donation request to a personal account
- An individual or a company page collecting for a "project" abroad
- Strong emotional urgency
- No licence or Jood listing you can check
How to protect yourself
- Donate through the Jood platform or a licensed charity
- Do not give to appeals by text or from unknown social-media accounts
If it happened to you
- Call your bank if you paid by card
- Report the account to the ROP; report begging to 1166
Where to report: Begging and solicitation: 1166. Fraud: the ROP on 80077444 or a police station.
9. Parcel and delivery-fee messages
The ROP listed parcel messages among the common methods in 2025: a text or WhatsApp message says a parcel is waiting and links to a fake page to pay a small delivery fee, and the card details are then used to take money. We found no Oman Post scam warning from 2024 to 2026, so this rests on the ROP statement alone.[3][4][14]
Reported in: Nationwide
How it works
A message says your parcel cannot be delivered until you pay a small fee or confirm your address. The link opens a payment page that looks like a courier site. The small amount lowers your guard, but the page captures your full card details and the code.
Red flags
- A small fee to release a parcel
- A parcel you did not order
- A link in the message
How to protect yourself
- Track parcels only in the courier’s own app or website
- Use a prepaid or low-limit card online
If it happened to you
- Block the card through your bank
- Report the message to the ROP and on Turs
Where to report: Your bank first if money is involved, then the Royal Oman Police toll-free line 80077444 or the nearest police station. 9999 in an emergency. Report the number or link on the Turs platform.
10. People posing as police in person to rob
The ROP announced at least ten arrests from 2024 to 2026 of people who posed as police officers to rob, in Muscat (including Seeb), Dhofar, North and South Al Batinah and Al Buraimi. They mostly targeted workers, often asking first to see identity documents, and in some cases entered homes. There was no awareness campaign on this, so the advice below is general.[63][64][65][66][67][68][69][54][55][56]
Reported in: Several governorates, in person
How it works
Someone stops you in the street or knocks at your door, says they are police and asks for your ID, then takes your cash, phone or documents.
Red flags
- A "police officer" in plain clothes who cannot show identification
- A demand to hand over cash, a phone or documents
- Pressure to get into a private car or go somewhere quiet
How to protect yourself
- Stay in a public place and call 9999 if you are unsure
- Do not hand over cash or documents to someone who stops you without proof
If it happened to you
- Call 9999 at once and describe the person and any vehicle
- Block any cards that were taken
Where to report: 9999.
City by city
Muscat
No official source gives a fraud rate for Muscat on its own. The governorate’s police command announced the most fraud-related arrests we found, and the only place-specific official fraud figure is from the Ministry of Social Development: about 20 of the 67 unlicensed fundraising cases it found in the year to March 2026 were in Muscat.[11][37][65][66][67][54][55][46]
- More than 60 online ad and rental fraud cases linked to one suspect (October 2026)
- Fake rental ads for flats, houses and rest houses (July 2025)
- People posing as police to rob, including in Seeb (2024 to 2026)
- Unlicensed fundraising: about 20 of 67 national cases
Where to report: ROP 80077444, the nearest police station, or 9999 in an emergency.
Salalah and Dhofar
In June 2026 police dismantled an international cyber-fraud network that operated from four locations in Dhofar, and in October 2026 they arrested a man for posing as police and robbing people there. We found no official warning about khareef booking scams; the tourism ministry’s July 2026 notice asks visitors to book only licensed accommodation, which also protects your rights if something goes wrong.[9][56][60]
Where to report: ROP 80077444, the nearest police station, or 9999 in an emergency.
Sohar and North Al Batinah
The largest operation we found was in Sohar in July 2026: synchronised raids at 33 sites, more than 380 arrests and more than 1,800 devices seized from an international fraud network. Police in the governorate have also arrested people who posed as police to rob workers. Separately, in May 2026 the ROP worked with Interpol to stop an attempt to move about US$6.6 million of fraud proceeds through a bank in Oman.[8][68][69][10]
Where to report: ROP 80077444, the nearest police station, or 9999 in an emergency.
Nizwa and Al Dakhiliyah
We found no Nizwa-specific warning or figure. Arrests announced by the governorate’s police include five people who posed as a telecom company to target expatriates (2024) and six who extorted more than OMR200,000 from a man after posing online as a young woman (2025).[57][53]
Where to report: ROP 80077444, the nearest police station, or 9999 in an emergency.
Other governorates
Police commands in Al Dhahirah, Al Buraimi and South Al Batinah have also announced arrests for fraud and for posing as police, such as a 2024 case in Al Dhahirah where a woman lost more than OMR10,000 after sharing a code with a fake bank caller. A university in Al Buraimi warned students about fake tuition-fee emails in 2026. We found no fraud evidence for Al Wusta or South Al Sharqiyah, and no official source ranks governorates by fraud, so the national advice above applies everywhere.[32][64][63][58]
Where to report: ROP 80077444, the nearest police station, or 9999 in an emergency.
Where to report a scam in Oman
Channels named in official statements from 2024 to 2026. In an emergency, or if someone claiming to be police is robbing or threatening you, call 9999.
| Situation | Channel | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Online fraud, a stolen code, a hacked account or blackmail | ROP toll-free line 80077444 or the nearest police station | Royal Oman Police |
| Money taken from your card or account | Your bank’s hotline first to freeze the card or account, then the ROP | Royal Oman Police, Central Bank of Oman |
| A scam number, link, text or fake account | Report it on the Turs platform (turs.tra.gov.om) | Telecommunications Regulatory Authority |
| Complaints to government bodies | The Tajawob platform, which is free and never asks for bank data | Royal Oman Police |
| Checking an online store | Maroof Oman and the store’s commercial registration | Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion |
| Checking an investment firm | The FSA list of licensed entities on fsa.gov.om | Financial Services Authority |
| Begging or suspicious donation appeals | 1166; donate through the Jood platform | Royal Oman Police, Ministry of Social Development |
| A dispute with an employer or recruitment office, or unpaid wages | Ministry of Labour labour complaints e-service (free) or call centre 80077000 | Ministry of Labour |
The ROP says it works with banks and telecom operators to freeze suspect accounts, but money is often moved abroad within minutes, so call your bank before anything else.
Five habits that stop most of these scams
The ROP and the Central Bank of Oman repeat the same rules: banks and officials never ask for your codes, and speed matters.
- Never share a one-time code, PIN, CVV or banking login, whoever asks
- Type official addresses yourself instead of trusting the top search result
- Pay deposits only after viewing and a written contract
- Check investments on the FSA list and online stores on Maroof Oman
- Use a separate prepaid or low-limit card online and turn on two-factor authentication
If you have been scammed: the first hour
The ROP says money is moved through other accounts and crypto platforms quickly, so act at once and keep everything.
- Call your bank’s hotline to freeze the card and account
- Report to the ROP on 80077444 or at the nearest police station
- Keep screenshots, numbers, account details, links and receipts
- Report the number or link on the Turs platform
- Ignore anyone who offers to recover your money for a fee