Residents of the UAE have been warned repeatedly about scammers' fraudulent activities.

An increasingly common scam involves scammers sending victims a 'legal notice' via WhatsApp from the 'Central Bank of the UAE'.

However, upon a closer look, it is relatively easy to tell that the document is a fake. The document, titled 'legal notifications' has some obvious spelling errors.

Below is a document that contains several grammatical errors and does not follow the format of one. "Sorry, dear customer, your bank account (ATM, debit, credit cards) will be frozen due to some security reasons, (and confirm your correct details) otherwise your account will be suspended permanently."

It also provides a contact number and features a signature and stamp (with another spelling error).

Scams like these take place fairly often, where fraudsters impersonate UAE authorities and attempt to retrieve victims' bank details.

Recently, the Ras Al Khaimah Police managed to track down a gang of fraudsters believed to be stealing huge sums of money from residents' bank accounts.

Seven Asians from inside and outside the country were arrested in connection with the scam, police said on Thursday.

According to the police, the gang would pose as bank representatives and contact residents via phone or fake WhatsApp messages. Then, they would people into revealing bank details by saying their accounts would be blocked if the data was not provided Those who fall victim to this scheme give scammers access to their bank accounts, and the next thing they know, their deposits are gone.

Take precautions to stay safe

Banks do not ask customers to disclose personal information via SMS, WhatsApp, e-mails or phone calls under the pretext of updating accounts, authorities have said.

In case you encounter such suspicious activities, report them to the authorities immediately.