Hakim Hayat

Police urged the public to be wary of an SMS scam that is currently on the rife in the country, targetting random numbers and asking people to join “VIP Clubs” of online casinos that promises “bonuses” and great winnings.

The SMS scam, which surfaced in many phone subscribers’ SMS inbox since about a month ago, comes from different numbers including these numbers listed out by the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) in a press release yesterday – +6737379798; +6738984954; +6738982565; +6737371123; +6737379796; +6738625010; +6737371605 and +6737110156.

The message also asks the recipient to click on a link to claim the “bonus” or tell the recipient that they have been selected to receive a “free ticket” for an online game.

Police said they have not received any reports of any victims so far on the scam but assured the public that they are actively carrying out investigations to identify the registered owners of the numbers used.

Police also warned the public against renting out numbers registered in their names for gambling and criminal activities, and use social media platforms and the Internet for criminal activities. The public should not reply to the SMS and avoid giving out personal information or data to the number and any unknown parties.

The public should also refrain from renting out their bank account details and allow their accounts to be used for criminal activities.

Police also said that the public should not fall prey to online love scams and avoid sharing their personal pictures and data to strangers to avoid being victims of “sextortion”.