The scams people report most, and how to avoid each one
1. Fake government links: traffic fines, tax refunds, customs, health cards and Tawtheeq
More Qatari bodies have warned about this than about any other scam. The Interior Ministry has posted general warnings about links claiming to come from state institutions again and again since 2025. Separate alerts came from the General Tax Authority, the General Authority of Customs, the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Communications, which warned about accounts posing as the Tawtheeq national login. In April 2025 the Economic and Cyber Crimes Combating Department dismantled a 12-person network that sent mass text messages with links posing as banks and government bodies to steal card and personal data. In September 2026 the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) said phishing texts and emails pretending to be government bodies and large companies were on the rise.[6][7][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][24][25][11][12]
Reported in: Nationwide
How it works
A text, email or WhatsApp message says you have an unpaid traffic fine, a tax refund waiting, a parcel held at customs, a health card about to lapse, or an account that needs updating. In April 2025 newspapers reported fake fine texts that opened a copy of the Metrash app on a lookalike address. The page asks for your card number, your login or the code just sent to your phone, and the criminals use them at once.
Red flags
- A link for a government service that does not end in .gov.qa, including lookalikes such as gov-qa.com
- A fine, fee, refund or "update" demanded by text with a short deadline
- A request for your card details, password or one-time code
- A "government" website you reached from a sponsored search result
How to protect yourself
- Check fines only in the Metrash app and pay government services only through Hukoomi or the ministry’s own site
- Check tax messages on the Dhareeba platform, which the General Tax Authority says is its only channel
- Type moci.gov.qa or mol.gov.qa yourself instead of clicking a search ad
- Do not install any app or remote-access tool a caller asks for; the NCSA says no genuine body needs one
If it happened to you
- Call your bank’s hotline at once to block the card and stop payments
- Change any password you typed into the fake page
- Keep the text, the link and screenshots, and report them to the Interior Ministry
Where to report: The Interior Ministry’s Economic and Cyber Crimes Combating Department: a security complaint in the Metrash app, cccc@moi.gov.qa, or its office in person. 999 in an emergency.
2. Calls and texts posing as your bank, the central bank or the police to get your codes
At a September 2026 awareness webinar, an officer of the Interior Ministry’s cybercrime department put this first in his list of common scams: callers posing as Interior Ministry officials, bank staff or other government staff who ask for one-time codes, Qatar ID details or bank information, and texts saying a bank card has been blocked. Qatar Central Bank (QCB) ran its "Stay Aware" campaign with the Interior Ministry, the NCSA and the financial-centre regulator from 2024, and has said that texts from banks operating in Qatar never contain links. In October 2025 the Communications Regulatory Authority began rolling out Caller Name Presentation, which shows the verified name of registered organisations when they call, with impersonation calls as the stated target.[3][13][14][10][1][8][9]
Reported in: Nationwide
How it works
Someone calls or texts claiming your card is blocked, your account must be verified or there is a problem with your Qatar ID. They may already know your name. They ask you to confirm your card number or to read out the code that has just arrived on your phone, and that code lets them pay or move money from your account.
Red flags
- Any request for a one-time code, PIN, password or full card number
- A "bank" text that contains a link, which QCB says banks do not send
- A call from a "bank" or "ministry" on a plain number with no verified caller name
- Pressure to act in the next few minutes
How to protect yourself
- Never share a one-time code with anyone, including someone who says they are from the bank or the police
- Hang up and call the number on the back of your card, or go to a branch
- Change your password straight away if you see account activity you do not recognise
If it happened to you
- Call your bank’s hotline at once to block the card and the account
- Ask the bank for a stamped and signed statement of the transactions
- Take it to the Interior Ministry’s Economic and Cyber Crimes Combating Department
Where to report: Your bank first, then the Interior Ministry: a security complaint in Metrash, cccc@moi.gov.qa, or the department’s office.
3. Investment and trading scams, including AI videos of well-known companies
An officer of the Interior Ministry’s cybercrime department told QNA in February 2025 that investment fraud, built on false promises of high returns, is among the most prominent cyber-fraud cases in Qatar, and that most offenders operate from abroad. QatarEnergy warned twice, in March and November 2025, about fake adverts and AI-generated videos using its name to sell "investment opportunities", and said it never asks the public for money. WOQOD issued a similar warning in September 2024, and The Peninsula found cloned news pages carrying invented stories that led readers to an investment sign-up page. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry reminded the public in July 2025 that unlicensed parties may not collect money or offer investment services.[1][31][32][33][34][35]
Reported in: Nationwide, mostly online
How it works
An advert, a video of a famous company or public figure, or a news-style article promises large, guaranteed returns. You leave your number, a friendly "account manager" calls, and you are shown a trading dashboard where your balance seems to grow. When you try to withdraw, you are asked for fees or taxes first, and then the contact disappears.
Red flags
- A well-known Qatari company or person "endorsing" returns in an advert or video
- Guaranteed or very high returns with no risk
- Payment to a personal account or in cryptocurrency
- Fees demanded before you can withdraw
How to protect yourself
- Check that a firm is licensed by QCB, the Qatar Financial Markets Authority or the QFC Regulatory Authority before sending money
- Check its commercial registration with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
- Remember that companies such as QatarEnergy and WOQOD do not sell investments through social media adverts
If it happened to you
- Stop all payments and call your bank
- Keep the adverts, chats, wallet addresses and receipts
- Report to the Interior Ministry, and ignore anyone who offers to recover the money for a fee
Where to report: The Interior Ministry’s Economic and Cyber Crimes Combating Department: a security complaint in the Metrash app, cccc@moi.gov.qa, or its office in person. 999 in an emergency. Licensing questions: Ministry of Commerce and Industry on 16001.
4. Scams exploiting the 2026 emergency: fake evacuation, shelter and travel contacts
From March 2026, during the regional security situation, the Interior Ministry warned at least four times within a few weeks that calls and messages were "exploiting the current circumstances". They claimed to come from government bodies and asked for bank details or money transfers. The Peninsula reported forwarded accounts of callers asking for copies of Qatar IDs "for an evacuation process". The Government Communications Office said a WhatsApp message with a link to "shelter locations", presented as coming from the Interior Ministry, was fake. Hamad International Airport and Qatar Airways warned about fake accounts collecting passengers’ personal data during the flight disruption.[27][28][29][30]
Reported in: Nationwide
How it works
In a tense moment, a call or message says you must register for evacuation, find your nearest shelter, rebook a cancelled flight or claim government help. It asks for a copy of your ID, your passport details, your card or a small transfer. The urgency of the real situation makes it easy to act without checking.
Red flags
- An official-sounding caller asking for your Qatar ID copy or a transfer "because of the situation"
- Shelter, evacuation or aid links that do not come from the Interior Ministry or the Government Communications Office
- "Airline support" or "airport" accounts that message you first
- Anyone asking for passport details by message
How to protect yourself
- Take emergency information only from the national alert system and the official Interior Ministry and Government Communications Office accounts
- Contact Qatar Airways only through its website, app or @QatarAirways and @QRSupport on X
- Remember that the airport says it never asks for passport details through any channel
If it happened to you
- Call your bank if you shared card details or paid
- Report the number or account to the Interior Ministry
- Report airport impersonation to Hamad International Airport’s 24-hour line
Where to report: The Interior Ministry’s Economic and Cyber Crimes Combating Department: a security complaint in the Metrash app, cccc@moi.gov.qa, or its office in person. 999 in an emergency. Airport impersonation: +974 4010 6666.
5. Fake recruitment offices, domestic-worker ads and "pay to speed up" requests
The Ministry of Labour has warned repeatedly from late 2024 to 2026 about unlicensed offices that post convincing domestic-worker recruitment ads on social media and pose as licensed agencies. In September 2026 it published a list of 221 registered recruitment agencies and urged families to check it before paying anyone. In June 2026 it warned against requests to transfer money to personal bank accounts for ministry services or to "speed up" a procedure, saying its fees are paid only through official channels. It has also warned about fake accounts claiming to represent it.[37][38][39][48][49]
Reported in: Nationwide, mostly on social media
How it works
An ad offers a housemaid or driver quickly and cheaply, or a person says they can speed up a work permit or a ministry service for a fee. You are asked for a deposit or a transfer to a personal account. After paying, no worker arrives and the number stops answering.
Red flags
- An agency that is not on the Ministry of Labour’s list of registered agencies
- Payment to a personal bank account
- A fee to "speed up" a permit or a ministry procedure
- A deal offered only on WhatsApp or social media
How to protect yourself
- Check the agency on the Ministry of Labour’s published list before signing or paying
- Pay ministry fees only through its official e-services, which end in mol.gov.qa
- Use only the ministry’s official accounts and website, never a page that messages you
If it happened to you
- Call your bank to try to stop the transfer
- Report the ad and the account to the Ministry of Labour
- Report the fraud itself to the Interior Ministry
- Workers and families can also file against a registered recruitment agency or an employer on the ministry’s Unified Complaints and Disputes Platform
Where to report: Ministry of Labour: 16505 or info@mol.gov.qa. Fraud: the Interior Ministry’s Economic and Cyber Crimes Combating Department.
6. Parcel, courier and customs fee messages
The General Authority of Customs warned in July 2025 about messages asking people to update their address or pay a fee through a link to release a parcel. The Ministry of Transport had warned in January 2024 about emails demanding a small "shipping fee" within 24 hours. At its September 2026 webinar the Interior Ministry named small "delivery charge" requests in the name of Qatar Post or courier companies as one of the scams it sees most.[20][36][3]
Reported in: Nationwide
How it works
A text or email says a parcel cannot be delivered until you confirm your address or pay a few riyals. The link opens a payment page that looks like a courier or customs site. The small amount lowers your guard, but the page captures your full card details.
Red flags
- A small fee to "release" or "redeliver" a parcel
- An address update requested through a link
- A parcel you do not remember ordering
- A deadline of a day or less
How to protect yourself
- Track parcels only in the courier’s own app or by typing its website yourself
- Do not pay customs or delivery fees through a link in a text
- Use a prepaid card for online payments, as the Interior Ministry advises
If it happened to you
- Block the card through your bank
- Report the message to the Interior Ministry
Where to report: The Interior Ministry’s Economic and Cyber Crimes Combating Department: a security complaint in the Metrash app, cccc@moi.gov.qa, or its office in person. 999 in an emergency.
7. Fake ads: cheap rentals, holiday deals, event tickets and online shops
The Interior Ministry warned in December 2024 about online offers for homes and leisure places such as chalets and farms at unusually low prices. In August 2026 the NCSA warned that WhatsApp links to heavily discounted holiday packages can install malware or lead to fake booking sites. Fake ticket sites have appeared around big events: the NCSA found sites selling AFC Asian Cup tickets in 2024, and the FuelFest organisers warned about a fake discount site in January 2026. The Interior Ministry’s 2026 advice is to buy only from secure, trusted sites and to pay with a prepaid card.[40][41][42][3]
Reported in: Nationwide, mostly online
How it works
A listing shows a flat, chalet, holiday or ticket well below the normal price. The seller says they are busy or abroad and asks for a deposit or full payment before you can view or receive anything. Once paid, the listing disappears.
Red flags
- A price far below the market
- A deposit demanded before a viewing or a contract
- A seller who cannot meet in person
- Tickets sold outside the event’s official platform
How to protect yourself
- View a property and check the owner or licensed broker before paying anything
- Book travel through known airlines, hotels or licensed agencies
- Buy event tickets only from the official platform named by the organiser
If it happened to you
- Call your bank to try to recall the payment
- Report the ad and the seller’s details to the Interior Ministry
Where to report: The Interior Ministry’s Economic and Cyber Crimes Combating Department: a security complaint in the Metrash app, cccc@moi.gov.qa, or its office in person. 999 in an emergency.
8. WhatsApp and deepfake impersonation of friends and relatives (emerging)
In August 2026 the Interior Ministry warned that deepfakes, voice cloning and fake video calls are being used to impersonate real people, and that not everything you see or hear is real. At its September 2026 webinars it described WhatsApp accounts using a stolen profile photo of a friend or relative to ask for money, and calls to older people from someone claiming their son or daughter urgently needs money. Officers also advised residents to check which mobile numbers are registered in their name and cancel any they do not recognise, so criminals cannot use them. We list this as emerging because the warnings are recent and no case numbers were published.[43][3][4]
Reported in: Nationwide
How it works
A message comes from a new number or an account with a familiar photo: a relative has lost their phone, is in trouble or needs a quick transfer. Sometimes a short voice note or video call sounds and looks right. The request is urgent and often secret.
Red flags
- A familiar face or voice asking for money urgently or secretly
- A new number "because my phone broke"
- A video call that is very short, blurry or cuts off
- Pressure not to tell anyone else in the family
How to protect yourself
- Call the person back on the number you already have
- Agree a family code word for real emergencies
- Check the mobile numbers registered in your name and cancel any you do not recognise
If it happened to you
- Call your bank at once to try to stop the transfer
- Warn the person whose identity was used
- Report the number to the Interior Ministry
Where to report: The Interior Ministry’s Economic and Cyber Crimes Combating Department: a security complaint in the Metrash app, cccc@moi.gov.qa, or its office in person. 999 in an emergency.
9. Online blackmail and sextortion
The Interior Ministry held awareness sessions on online blackmail in February and September 2026, and singled out workers as a group that needs more awareness. It said that threatening or blackmailing someone through an information network is punishable by up to three years in prison and a fine of up to QR100,000, or either penalty, under Article 6 of the Cybercrime Prevention Law of 2014.[4][5][2]
Reported in: Nationwide, online
How it works
A stranger builds a friendly or romantic chat, often moving to video calls, and then threatens to share private photos, videos or messages unless you pay. Paying usually leads to more demands.
Red flags
- A new online contact who quickly pushes for private photos or video calls
- Threats to send material to your family, employer or contacts
- Demands for payment in gift cards, transfers or cryptocurrency
How to protect yourself
- Do not share private images with people you have not met
- Keep your social media friends lists and photos private
- Be wary of strangers who move the chat to another app fast
If it happened to you
- Do not pay and do not reply
- Block the person but keep the numbers, accounts, emails and messages as evidence
- Report to the Interior Ministry straight away; the ministry says quick reporting helps prove the crime
Where to report: The Interior Ministry’s Economic and Cyber Crimes Combating Department: a security complaint in the Metrash app, cccc@moi.gov.qa, or its office in person. 999 in an emergency.
10. Fake charity and fundraising appeals
In March 2025 QCB, the NCSA, the Interior Ministry and the QFC Regulatory Authority issued a joint warning about fraudulent online fundraising aimed at donors. They advised giving only through licensed charities and distrusting emotional appeals by phone, email or social media. In February 2026 the Interior Ministry asked the public to report begging and solicitation, including online, through Metrash or its hotlines. These appeals tend to rise around Ramadan and during crises.[44][45]
Reported in: Nationwide, online and in person
How it works
A post, message or call shows a moving story, a sick child or a disaster and asks for a donation to a personal account, a payment link or a wallet. There is no licensed charity behind it, and the money goes straight to the person asking.
Red flags
- A donation request to a personal bank account or wallet
- A charity name you cannot find among licensed charities
- Strong emotional pressure and urgency
How to protect yourself
- Give only through licensed charities and their official apps or sites
- Do not donate through links sent by strangers
If it happened to you
- Call your bank if you paid by card
- Report the account or number to the Interior Ministry
Where to report: Solicitation and begging: 3361 8627, 2347483 or Metrash. Fraud: the Interior Ministry’s Economic and Cyber Crimes Combating Department.
11. Fake payment instructions sent to companies
At its September 2026 webinar the Interior Ministry warned company finance staff about emails that pose as a supplier, a partner or a senior manager and give new bank details for a payment. It advised checking the sender’s domain carefully and confirming any change to payment instructions by phone or video call before transferring money.[3]
Reported in: Nationwide, businesses
How it works
An email that looks like it comes from a regular supplier or your own manager says the bank account has changed or an urgent payment is needed. The address differs by a letter or two from the real one. The money goes to an account the criminals control.
Red flags
- New bank details for an existing supplier
- An urgent or confidential payment request from a "manager" by email only
- A sender domain that differs slightly from the real one
How to protect yourself
- Confirm any change of bank details by calling a number you already have, not one in the email
- Require two people to approve new payees and large transfers
If it happened to you
- Call your bank at once to try to recall the transfer
- Report to the Interior Ministry with the emails and transfer details
Where to report: The Interior Ministry’s Economic and Cyber Crimes Combating Department: a security complaint in the Metrash app, cccc@moi.gov.qa, or its office in person. 999 in an emergency.
12. People posing as police officers in person
In September 2026 the Interior Ministry reminded residents to carry their Qatar ID and warned about people in civilian clothes who claim to be police. A real officer can show a police ID card, which looks like a Qatar ID and shows a name, photo and department.[46]
Reported in: Nationwide, in person
How it works
Someone in plain clothes stops you, says they are police and asks to see your ID, wallet or phone, or asks you to go with them. The aim is to take money, cards or documents.
Red flags
- A "police officer" in civilian clothes who will not show a police ID
- A request to hand over cash, cards or your phone
- Pressure to move to a quiet place or a private car
How to protect yourself
- Ask to see the police ID card before handing anything over
- Stay in a public place and call 999 if you are unsure
If it happened to you
- Call 999 at once and describe the person and any vehicle
- Block any cards that were taken
Where to report: 999.
City by city
Doha
We found no Qatari official source from 2024 to October 2026 that gives fraud figures or a scam trend for Doha on its own. News reports say "Doha" because that is where the ministries are, not because a scam is Doha-specific, so all twelve scams above apply. The only Doha-located items we found were a fake-ticket warning for an event at Katara in January 2026 and the NCSA’s 2025 awareness adverts at Msheireb and the Corniche.[47][42]
- Fake event tickets: the FuelFest organisers warned about a fake discount site for the Katara event (January 2026)
- Every national scam above, especially fake government links, bank calls and fake rental ads
Where to report: 999 in an emergency; otherwise Metrash, cccc@moi.gov.qa or the Economic and Cyber Crimes Combating Department.
Al Rayyan, Al Wakrah, Lusail, Al Khor and other municipalities
We found no official warning, arrest or figure tied to any single municipality, so we do not claim a local pattern. The 12-person text-message network broken up in April 2025 worked "across various areas of the country", and the NCSA took its 2025 awareness pavilion to malls in Al Rayyan and Lusail and to workers’ areas. Residents everywhere face the same national scams, and reporting is national: 999, Metrash or the Interior Ministry department.[6][47]
Where to report: 999, Metrash, cccc@moi.gov.qa, or the Economic and Cyber Crimes Combating Department.
Where to report a scam in Qatar
Channels named in official warnings from 2024 to 2026. In an emergency, or if someone claiming to be police will not show ID, call 999.
| Situation | Channel | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fraud, phishing, hacked account or blackmail | Security complaint in the Metrash app, cccc@moi.gov.qa, or the Economic and Cyber Crimes Combating Department in person (best for large losses) | Interior Ministry |
| Money taken from your card or account | Your bank’s hotline at once, then a stamped bank statement to the Interior Ministry department | Interior Ministry |
| A "bank" text with a link | Contact your bank; banks in Qatar do not send links | Qatar Central Bank |
| Phishing pretending to be a government body or company | NCSA individual complaints form | National Cyber Security Agency |
| Fake store, someone posing as the Ministry of Commerce, checking a firm’s registration | 16001 | Ministry of Commerce and Industry |
| Recruitment fraud, a complaint against an agency or employer, or checking an agency | 16505, info@mol.gov.qa, the Unified Complaints and Disputes Platform, and the ministry’s list of registered agencies | Ministry of Labour |
| Tax messages | Check on the Dhareeba platform | General Tax Authority |
| Charity, donation or begging solicitation | 3361 8627, 2347483 or Metrash | Interior Ministry |
| Someone posing as the airport | +974 4010 6666 | Hamad International Airport |
For a large loss the Interior Ministry recommends visiting the department in person with a stamped and signed bank statement, screenshots of the chats and the numbers used.
Five habits that stop most of these scams
Nearly every scam above needs a code, a card number or a transfer that you make yourself. The authorities repeat the same rules in almost every warning.
- Never share a one-time code, PIN or password, whoever asks
- Use government services only on sites ending in .gov.qa and in Metrash or Hukoomi
- Treat any bank text with a link as fake
- Check licences before paying: MoL agency list, MoCI registration, QCB, QFMA or QFC Regulatory Authority for investments
- Use a prepaid card for online shopping
If you have been scammed: the first hour
The Interior Ministry says digital evidence is easily lost and money moves fast, so the order matters.
- Call your bank’s hotline and block the card and account
- Ask the bank for a stamped statement of the transactions
- Report to the Interior Ministry through Metrash, cccc@moi.gov.qa or in person
- Keep screenshots, phone numbers, links and receipts, and do not delete the chats
- Ignore anyone who offers to recover your money for a fee