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Widespread Phishing Scam Discovered In Saudi Arabia
Group-IB, a global cybersecurity firm, has published research into a scheme where scammers impersonate one of the leading manpower agencies in Saudi Arabia.

Analysts from a leading cybersecurity firm, Group-IB, have uncovered a massive phishing scam operation meant to impersonate one of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s top recruitment agencies.
The cybersecurity team found at least 1,000 malicious domains during their research, with most containing a close match to a well-known Saudi agency that offers assistance in hiring employees for the construction and services sector, as well as domestic workers. Scams of this nature are growing at a rate of 10% per year, with more than $55 billion stolen during 2021 alone.
How The Scam Worked
The fake domains and their associated URLs were meant to fool people into thinking they’re the real deal. In addition, each domain featured convincing web pages designed to mimic the official agency website. Scammers were using these web pages to convince people to enter their data, hoping to harvest banking details, as well as both login information and two-factor authentication (2FA) codes.
To drive traffic to these fraudulent websites, the criminals used multiple layers of social engineering, first using ads on Facebook, Twitter, and Google that encouraged SMS or WhatsApp conversations, and then sending unwitting users to the fake sites to enter their details.
Once a user had landed on a fake domain, they were persuaded to part with a small processing fee of 50 or 100 SAR (approximately $13 or $27), which enabled the scammers to harvest banking data to empty accounts and make off with user’s hard-earned cash.
Also Read: Is Your Phone Hacked? How To Find Out & Protect Yourself
“Scammers are becoming increasingly resourceful and collaborative, and spoof domain brokers are actively assisting cybercriminals. We encourage companies and organizations to monitor for signs of brand abuse, and we also urge internet users to remain vigilant so that they do not become victims of scams such as this,” says Mark Alpatskiy, CERT-GIB Senior Analyst.
Falling victim to a phishing scam can be costly, and Internet users are urged to show caution and always check URLs to verify they are legitimate before entering any personal data, as well as ensuring they are in communication with online chat services or call centers of the official company in question.
News
Checkout.com Brings Visa Direct Push-To-Card To The UAE
The payment company is the first acquirer in the UAE to launch Visa Direct’s solution, enabling safe, instant money transfers.

Checkout.com has taken the UAE a step closer to its goal of a fully digital economy by becoming the first acquirer in the country to offer Visa Direct’s Push-to-Card solution. The new service will streamline money transfers for both businesses and consumers, enabling near-instant transactions across local and international markets.
Visa Direct connects over 190 markets and supports over 8.5 billion endpoints, including cards, bank accounts, and digital wallets. Push-to-Card transactions enhance efficiency for business users and consumers by allowing money to be sent quickly and easily to eligible Visa cards while leveraging the company’s secure network for reliability.
“Visa Direct is transforming the way money moves globally, and we are excited to see Checkout.com leverage this technology to meet the evolving demands of businesses and individuals alike by offering them a faster, more convenient, and secure way to send and receive funds,” said Shahebaz Khan, Senior Vice President and Head of Commercial and Money Movement Solutions, CEMEA.
The UAE has been at the forefront of digital payment adoption, driven by a national push toward a cashless economy. Remo Giovanni Abbondandolo, General Manager for MENA at Checkout.com, emphasized this shift: “By providing seamless, secure, and real-time payout capabilities, we’re empowering merchants with the agility to thrive in this fast-evolving landscape, while effectively meeting the growing consumer demand for speed and convenience. The Push-to-Card solution not only reinforces our commitment to powering payment performance but also showcases our agility in bringing yet another innovation to the UAE market.”
Also Read: Qareeb Partners With Pantheon For GCC Bitcoin Mining Expansion
Checkout.com’s latest MENA eCommerce data highlights the region’s increasing engagement with financial technologies, with around 80% of consumers participating in activities beyond basic online payments, such as money transfers and personal wealth management. The growing demand for real-time financial transactions has made fast, seamless payment solutions a priority.
To meet this demand, Account Funding Transactions (AFTs) have gained traction in the UAE. By integrating AFTs with Visa’s Push-to-Card services, Checkout.com is helping merchants offer secure, real-time account top-ups. Currently processing over one million AFTs per month with Visa, Checkout.com is now playing a leading role in modernizing financial transactions in the region.
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