The service aims to give residents choice over cold calls…

It’s no secret that in the UAE we’re faced with a lot of cold calling. Many businesses reach out to potential customers with a quick phone call in the hopes of striking a deal, but they’re not always met with a welcome response.

Recently, you might have noticed that when your phone rings, a name will pop up that you haven’t saved as a contact. This is thanks to a new service called ‘Kashif’ which, according to Khaleej Times was implemented by Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA).

Kashif means ‘revealer’ in Arabic, which is a befitting name for such a service. Any private company with their mobile or landline number registered will now display its trading name upon calling a private mobile number. This is normally shown with the business name in block capital letters.

The choice is then left with the call receiver whether they wish to answer or not, rather than guessing who might be calling them to then be faced with an unwanted sales pitch.

Despite this move toward caller transparency, high diligence is still required and residents are reminded not to reveal any personal information, data, passwords or credit card details. Scammers still operate and use complex technology to infiltrate systems so be wary of who you give information to over the phone and online.

Image: Getty