OTP fraud: Students in Dubai help labourers stay safe

OTP fraud: Students in Dubai help labourers stay safe

Pupils recount heartbreaking stories they heard of workers losing thousands of dirhams in these scams

Published: Wed 9 Aug 2023, 6:00 AM

For blue-collar worker Sajjad (name changed on request), Dh10,000 was all his life’s savings. So, when he lost it to OTP fraud three years ago, he was devastated. He shared his painful experience with students Anshuman Batra, Hitarth Kukreja and Akshit Kumar, who were visiting labour camps to raise awareness about various kinds of fraud. “I wish such awareness camps were conducted before I lost my money,” he told the youngsters.

The grade 8 students of the GEMS Modern Academy Dubai conducted campaigns about OTP Fraud and Digital Identity Theft among blue collar workers in labour camps in Al Quoz and Jebel Ali.

“The men were very interested in what we had to say and gathered around when we started talking,” said Anshuman. “Some of them even shared their experiences. It was quite heartbreaking to hear some of the stories. Many of them had lost money of varying amounts.”

Apart from doing in-person awareness, the students also distributed pamphlets to workers in several areas in various languages to ensure that the message was conveyed. The children spoke in Hindi, English and Punjabi and