Saudi Aramco says it foils fraud attempt involving India

E-Paper | May 02, 2026

RIYADH: Saudi Arabian Oil Co. says it foiled a fraud attempt involving scammers pretending to work for India's state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation after a newspaper report claimed the kingdom's oil firm was the victim of a massive cybercrime.

A statement by Saudi Aramco said the fraud involved a fake money transfer, without elaborating.

The statement, carried Sunday night on the official Saudi Press Agency, said: “The aborted attempt did not financially affect any of the two companies or their commercial relations.”

The statement comes after an Indian Express newspaper report last week claimed that Saudi Aramco paid out Rs1.97 billion ($30.3 million) to fraudsters who faked an email address at the Oil and Natural Gas Corp.

The Indian Express report cited Mumbai police officers for its information.

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zeezoo

Oct 19, 2015 03:01pm

fraudsters everywhere.looks like India and fraud are getting synonymous every passing day.

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Naxalite

Oct 19, 2015 03:11pm

Another feather in the Cap for India.

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Neutral

Oct 19, 2015 03:19pm

how lame to pay $30.3 million without confirmation, it has to be transferred over bank so it is very easy to track the fraudster.

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s.khan

Oct 19, 2015 03:33pm

according to the analysis Indian labor fetches tens of billions of $ from KSA more than any other country of the world and when it comes to UN it stands against muslims and this can be seen almost every day

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Dr mohd yousuf naik saudi arabia

Oct 19, 2015 03:33pm

we can change Every look in our body or universe but one thing that is unchangeable, is the CHARECTER of an Indiviusal from where one is brought up

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Comentary

Oct 19, 2015 03:34pm

Well done Mumbai Police and Indian express.

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Lost cause

Oct 19, 2015 03:36pm

Whole world is aware of Internet frauds. It surprises me that such high ranking company should have fallen for this fraud. Every week such mails are received in emails only to be ignored. But many have fallen pray these fraudsters.

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Oct 19, 2015 03:36pm

@Naxalite absurd. You are looking for a chance to blame regardless of its position.

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akshay

Oct 19, 2015 03:53pm

@s.khan So KSA is not doing charity with India.

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Taimoor Khan

Oct 19, 2015 03:53pm

From the den of corruption in cricket to this. India reputation is certainly increasing with each passing day.

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citizen

Oct 19, 2015 04:07pm

Nigerians are notorious for similar fraud and most of the arrested fraudsters were Nigerians and they operate throughout the world.

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Human

Oct 19, 2015 04:09pm

Reading headlines I thought Indians were doing it. But after reading its clear they're also victims as someone yet unidentified party pretended to represent Indian company.

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Oct 19, 2015 04:10pm

hmm. who were the fraudsters?

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Manzoor

Oct 19, 2015 04:12pm

Many Indians were arrested, some of them in top financial positions, for inside trading in the stock market in the United States.

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M. Siddique

Oct 19, 2015 04:28pm

Fraudsters, Beef eater lynchers, BCCI attackers, cyber attackers, all associated with India. Is India imploding in chaos? India must check this or it will slide into fascism.

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Another Indian

Oct 19, 2015 04:40pm

@Taimoor Khan .. Thats where you are wrong, well like most of the times. We are not trying to impress no one and do not care what any one thinks about us, especially Pakistanis. Looks like Saudis are complete idiots and someone smart took advantage. Deal with it.

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sandeep

Oct 19, 2015 05:16pm

@Another Indian well said brother

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Taimoor Khan

Oct 19, 2015 05:33pm

@Another Indian Rest assured, you Indians are insignificant to us, but we as Pakistanis have to highlight your shortcomings like you been doing as well all along. Live with it.

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Moeed Yusuf

Oct 19, 2015 05:34pm

@zeezoo mind to read the news? It was Indian company whose name was used so loss of Indian company, it can be done by anyone and most probably by the people whose are struggling badly against India.

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Raj Patel

Oct 19, 2015 05:41pm

It is Indian Express an Indian news paper who brings to the notice of public and government of Saudi. India don't hide anything, whether it is lynching of muslim by hindu or blackening face of hindu by hindu. Indian society is open society. Where you can find the poets and authors give back their awards just to oppose against government?

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Ashraf

Oct 19, 2015 06:14pm

Saudis are not the smartest tools in the shed.

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PHILOSOPHER (from Japan)

Oct 19, 2015 06:19pm

Saudis are so naive who believe that Indians won't cheat.

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atul gupta

Oct 19, 2015 06:20pm

Nowhere it says that an Indian firm or an individual perpetrated the fraud! Rather the email of Indian firm was hacked and used to get money. Remember, there are are no boundaries in cybercrimes. They could be anywhere from Tokyo to Timbuctoo

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abdullah

Oct 19, 2015 06:45pm

India is all about killing minorities and fraud .rss+bjp=destruction of india.let modi be in power for atleast 10 years and than india doesnt need an enemy.

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khanm

Oct 19, 2015 06:47pm

@zeezoo ... still we the Pakistanis are the real leading based on population...

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khanm

Oct 19, 2015 06:51pm

@Naxalite ....In many ways, I regard Pakistan and India as birds of a feather.

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Zak

Oct 19, 2015 07:27pm

@Another Indian so stealing another nationals money fraudulently in indian eyes is 'someone is smarter'- disgusting. No morals.

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ukumar

Oct 19, 2015 07:46pm

@Zak Please read the news before jumping to conclusion based on your biases. Someone used email of Indian company. It was brought to light by Indian newspaper. This perpetrator could be anywhere including Pakistan.

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ABCD

Oct 19, 2015 07:52pm

we all know Saudi's reputation

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shubs

Oct 19, 2015 08:08pm

The accounts department must be the only one staffed with Saudis...:-)

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Prateek

Oct 19, 2015 08:31pm

Fraudsters in this case can be from any part of the world. It is not necessary that they were based in India.

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Rizwan

Oct 19, 2015 08:44pm

Simply describes the education level of executives at Saudi Aramco, who fall for such a common Internet fraud?

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Montague

Oct 19, 2015 09:05pm

These Indians have their finger in every pie, still they go scot free.

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Arzoo

Oct 19, 2015 09:10pm

@Another Indian First do something wrong then show attitude, sums up India very well.

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Premsan

Oct 19, 2015 09:10pm

The fraudsters used ONGC emails. They could be anybody,

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M.Saeed

Oct 19, 2015 09:32pm

Nothing beats India in fraudulent activities.

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8-Pass Charlie

Oct 19, 2015 09:44pm

India is getting too much negative publicity around the world.

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Shahid Usa

Oct 19, 2015 11:06pm

Indian police will share too, I don't know why Saudis are so much impressed with India knowingly their religious animosity

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mullah paxton

Oct 20, 2015 01:58am

@Neutral : Now people can laugh at Saudi Aramco's stupidity in paying $3o.3 million without confirming identities! According to Dawn's headline, this fraud by criminals also reflects on Saudi Arabians as a people and nation!

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Hubara

Oct 20, 2015 02:12am

@Ashraf : But Saudis have been blessed with OIL and Makkah and Medina --Hajj tourism $$! Everybody bows to Saudi billionaires--Pakistan, too!

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Arshad

Oct 20, 2015 03:28am

@Another Indian , well done New India. So it is ok to be smart and fraudulent !!-

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Prapogand

Oct 20, 2015 03:31am

It seems like India is being exposed everywhere. In the USA there was a documentary on Indian digital workers with fake degrees and fake experience. it is going to bite India soon.

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Jai

Oct 20, 2015 09:52am

Two min silence for those who read only title not article.

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Amit Lunia

Oct 20, 2015 08:19pm

Axactly right

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Azhar

Oct 21, 2015 05:41am

First business then Muslim

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