10 siphon off Dhs784,000 from bank account

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

Ten alleged serial scammers were hauled back into court on Tuesday for siphoning Dhs784,400 from an elderly Emirati trader’s bank account.

An Asian sales executive at the bank’s branch in Dubai abused his duties to log on to the e-system of another branch. He accessed the bank account of the Emirati trader, 75, prosecutors explained to the Dubai Criminal Court.

He obtained the trader’s personal data and bank account details and disclosed it to a fugitive senior scammer who passed it to an unemployed countryman, a businessman and an employee and a fugitive accomplice.

Three gang members forged a trade licence and company card attributed to the trader. They also forged a letter indicating the trader tasked a man (who already left the UAE) with obtaining for him a replacement SIM card.

They met a telecom company clerk and offered him a Dhs10,000 bribe to confirm the trader’s telephone number was correct. They gave him the alleged tasked man’s fake ID copy. He entered its data in the e-system.

He connived with them to sever services to the trader’s SIM card and issue a replacement card. Using smart devices including a tablet, they logged onto the bank’s online banking services using the replacement SIM card.

They received messages from the bank containing secret codes. The countryman, accomplice, businessman and employee conducted several cash transfers worth Dhs24, 000 to the account of a complicit official.

They then conducted 31 cash transfers to the tune of Dhs760,400, to the account of the accomplice. The accomplice signed and issued cheques in favour of an accountant. The accountant cashed them.

The gang withdrew the rest of the money using bank cards handed to them by the accomplice and the official. The businessman provided his car to be used in transporting gang members during their activities.

The accomplice, accountant and official went on the run. The other gang members denied all charges. The ruling will be on Jul.21.