Bank scam gang arrested in UAE, stole thousands from residents

Ras Al Khaimah - The four men lured victims into sharing their personal information and bank details

A gang of four phone fraudsters, who were able to steal Dh12,199 from residents' bank accounts, has been sentenced to six months in jail at the Ras Al Khaimah Misdemeanour Court. They will also be deported after serving their time behind bars.
By posing as representatives of a government entity and claiming that bank accounts have to be updated, the four men lured victims into sharing their personal information and bank details, court records showed.
In other instances, they also told their targets that they won fake cash prizes.
The gang used the information to hack into victims' accounts and make money transfers.
All four denied the charges, with the first defendant - identified as King Abed - saying that he was overseas at the time of the crime. However, investigations revealed that he headed the gang and orchestrated the scam.
"He instructed his men to use different Asian phone numbers and a local number to call their victims, mislead them, and make them believe they have to cooperate and give all details so as not to have their bank accounts closed," according to records.
The head then gave his men credit cards to which the stolen money would be transferred.
"He promised them Dh3,000 to Dh4,000 commission for every scam incident."
Upon being alerted to the fraud, the RAK Police managed to track down the scammers and caught them red-handed.
Authorities reiterated their warning against sharing personal information, especially those related to bank accounts and credit cards.
"Fraudsters use those details to steal money from residents' accounts," they said. Even bank staffers are not allowed to ask for such information.
Police teams in various emirates have joined hands in cracking down on these scammers.
ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com

• Ras Al Khaimah