Authorities in Saudi Arabia issued a warning to pilgrims planning to go to Makkah for the Hajj and Umrah to be on the lookout for online registration frauds. Officials from the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah asked pilgrims to only use ministry accounts that belong to them. 
In the most recent incidence, scammers have tricked Pakistani citizens into giving over their personal information and money by tempting them to click on a link to a phony website. Arab News quoted the ministry’s undersecretary, Hisham Saeed, as saying: “The ministry is unaware of the origin of the link that has lately gained popularity, but it is unquestionably not affiliated with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. There should be no such linkages for any pilgrims.
He emphasized that pilgrims were chosen through the legitimate processes of the Hajj mission offices in their home nation, and he advised that in the absence of such offices, applications should be filed through the Hajj website.
According to Ahmed Saleh Halabi, a consultant for Hajj and Umrah services, cybercriminals frequently target pilgrims, with some of them posing as representatives of the Saudi non-profit Misk Foundation. He did, however, make the point that Misk would not unilaterally arrange journeys for Umrah pilgrims from outside the Kingdom without carefully coordinating with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and pertinent Saudi embassies.
The World Hajj and Umrah Care Foundation’s chairman, Mohsin Tutla, said: “Digital technology offers sophisticated benefits when used ethically and with the right intentions, but it can be damaging for preyed-upon pilgrims who are duped every year by fake websites made to persuade people to buy packages that scammers have no intention of honoring.”
The Saudi king, who is still in power, annually invites a select group of Muslims from throughout the world to conduct Hajj as distinguished guests of the Kingdom, but some web scammers send out phony invitations to Hajj.
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