Dubai Residents Affected by a VPN Scam Drawing Funds from Prepaid Accounts

• Dubai residents have reported that some free-of-charge VPNs steal smaller amounts daily, affecting their prepaid accounts.
• Free VPNs provide an easy way for malicious actors to log sensitive information and exploit your trust.
• The use of VPNs is legal in Dubai but heavily regulated, so it is essential to use only proven and trustworthy options.

As UAE’s Khaleej Times reports, Dubai residents have been affected by a VPN scam designed to draw funds from their prepaid accounts and make unauthorized purchases via their payment cards. The scam usually involves smaller amounts, around 3 AED ($0.80) daily, but it can add up to around 200 AED ($54.50) monthly.

Ezzeldin Husein from META at Sentinel One said that malicious VPNs allow third parties to access mobile devices and make unauthorized purchases, leading to deductions from prepaid accounts. Postpaid accounts can be affected as well. This happens when a VPN is granted extensive permissions, making it easy for malicious actors to access private data.

Using that route, malicious actors can access anyone’s mobile balance information and initiate transactions using mobile networks’ payment systems. Also, malicious VPNs can initiate in-app purchases, which can go unnoticed for a while.

Dubai’s cyber-security experts also warn that malicious VPNs can access cookies, which is how they extract highly sensitive information, like payment card details, CVV codes, expiry dates, account information, and more. This can happen in the background, even without connecting to a VPN server.

Luckily, UAE’s mobile carriers can flag unusual or suspicious activities, like sudden large purchases or multiple small transactions within a short period. Operators can also analyze billing records to identify discrepancies and work with digital app stores to track and verify unauthorized purchases.

We’ll add that we highly recommend avoiding free-of-charge VPN apps, as those have often been associated with scams, malicious activities, and similar. In general, free VPNs are not safe, and they come with heavy limitations and restrictions – even those by reputable cyber-sec brands. As you can see from our guide on the best VPNs for the UAE and Dubai, all top-rated options are premium-priced.

Keep in mind that VPN use is allowed in Dubai but heavily regulated. Using a VPN for any illegal activity is punishable by law, which is another reason to rely only on paid and reputable options.