Police nab man for stealing 26 credit cards

Iman Abdullah Al Ali, Staff Reporter

The security teams at the Dubai Police have arrested a man over the involvement in cybercrimes through which he seized money of others, according to Brig. Jamal Al-Jallaf, Director of Criminal Investigation Department at Dubai Police.

He revealed that the e-Crime platform received a tip-off from a shopping website reporting a customer using different credit cards in a suspicious manner with purchases of nearly Dhs50,000 over five months. He reportedly created four different accounts, and orders were delivered at four different addresses. He made purchases exceeded 122 via data of 26 stolen credit cards, and most of the purchases were recharge cards, according to Brig. Al Jallaf.

He continued, “During that period, we received several reports from people whose credit cards were used in an unknown way.”

“Through the Center for Forensic Analysis, we linked and analysed the reports, to find that it is one defendant who uses the same method in the theft, and manages the purchases,” he said.

“By linking the data and information, we found out that those purchases had been carried out by a person existing in the country and another abroad,” he added.  The security teams were able to analyse the programmes used, which led to locating the perpetrator, and he was arrested red-handed. The devices and credit card numbers used in crimes have been seized, Al Jallaf confirmed.

He explained that the defendant had bought recharge cards and sold them to people abroad, making earnings that amounted to about Dhs30,000.

Earlier in June this year, the Dubai Police in cooperation with the Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region, launched a joint initiative under the title “Secure Your Account”, aimed at raising public awareness and education on cyber security.

The public service campaign is part of Emirates NBD’s ongoing initiatives to remind customers that the bank would never ask for personal details such as online or mobile banking credentials and password, card PIN or the three-digit CVV number on the back of the card and to remain vigilant about fraudulent emails, links, websites or calls to protect themselves against potential fraud.

As part of its commitment to safe, secure banking, Emirates NBD conducts regular SMS and email campaigns and  posts messages across its social media platforms to sensitise customers to potential phishing attempts by fraudsters and remind them to never share their personal details with anyone. Handy tips on safeguarding personal information and encouraging safe banking practices are prominently displayed on the bank’s website in addition to pop-up reminders on the bank’s digital platforms, reminding customers to remain vigilant against fraud.