Entering Giveaways from Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia & UAE: A Country-by-Country Safety Guide

Our readers come from four big markets — Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Each has its own popular promotions, payment apps and common scams. Here is a practical overview for each country. Always check the organiser’s official terms, because eligibility and rules change from one campaign to the next.

Pakistan

Popular genuine promotions include telecom and mobile-wallet campaigns, brand lucky draws during Ramadan and Eid, and shopping festival raffles in big cities.

• Watch out for: fake “Benazir”, “Ehsaas” or other programme messages asking for fees, and WhatsApp calls asking you to share a verification code.
• Stay safe: never share JazzCash or Easypaisa PINs and OTPs. Government programmes are announced on official websites and helplines, not by random numbers.

India

Real giveaways often come from e-commerce festival sales, FMCG brand codes printed on packs, banks and credit cards, and verified creators on YouTube and Instagram.

• Watch out for: “KBC lottery” style calls and messages, fake courier “prize” deliveries, and UPI collect requests disguised as prize payments.
• Stay safe: remember that you never need to enter your UPI PIN to receive money.

Saudi Arabia

Promotions are commonly run by large retailers, malls, banks and telecom operators, often around Ramadan, National Day and seasonal events.

• Watch out for: messages pretending to be from delivery companies or banks offering prizes, and links to look-alike websites.
• Stay safe: use the official apps of your bank and telecom provider to check any promotion, and do not share Absher or banking codes.

UAE & Dubai

Dubai and the wider UAE are known for mall raffles and shopping festival draws, often linked to a qualifying purchase or a raffle ticket from an official outlet.

• Watch out for: fake raffle “winner” calls asking you to pay a processing fee, and social media pages copying well-known promotion branding.
• Stay safe: confirm results only on the organiser’s official website or verified account.

One rule for every country

A genuine organiser will never ask you to pay to receive a prize, and will never ask for a one-time password. Keep that rule in mind and you will avoid the vast majority of giveaway scams — wherever you live.