Trio embezzle Dh583,000 from customer's bank account in Dubai; purchase gold, jewellery

Dubai - Employee leaks confidential information to his accomplices.

The Dubai public prosecution referred three Asians to the Court of First Instance on charges including fraud, embezzlement and bribery.
One of the three men allegedly abused his post at a bank to get access into customers' files, mainly those with balance exceeding Dh300,000. The employee leaked confidential information to his accomplices and helped them embezzle Dh583,000 from a woman's account. The employee received a Dh100,000 bribe for his alleged help.
Counselor Ismail Ali Madani, Advocate-General and head of the Public Funds Prosecution, revealed that one of their prosecutors, Abdelrahman Nasser, investigated the case. "Two defendants admitted to the charges saying they committed the said crimes with the help of the runaway accomplice. They targeted the woman because she had Dh599,000 in her bank account and was outside of the UAE at the time."
The trio fraudulently used the mobile phone number registered with her account after impersonating her and applying for a SIM card replacement for loss.
They then uploaded the bank smart phone application. The trio accessed her savings account and transferred Dh583,000 to her current account. They had also an ATM card issued in her name after posing as her and falsely claiming that she had lost it. One of them collected it from a courier delivery worker.
After activation of the card, one of the accused withdrew Dh22,000 from ATM. He also purchased Dh536,450 worth of gold with the card and Dh9,500 jewellery from another shop.
According to Advocate-General Madani, the victim learned about the embezzlement after contacting the bank and her phone service company.
The public prosecution launched a probe right after a complaint was received.
Following investigation and interrogation of the defendants and witnesses, and gathering of criminal evidence, the accused were referred to court, one of them in absentia. They were charged with soliciting and accepting a bribe, offering a bribe to an employee with a public service, unlawfully logging into an e-system, e-fraud and embezzlement, disclosing of confidential information, forgery and criminal complicity.

mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai