Dubai A crook hacked two credit cards of a Dubai resident to pay thousands of dirhams in traffic fines.
Indian expatriate R.B., 57, an engineer, said his cards were illegally used to settle traffic fines amounting to Dh20,000 to the Abu Dhabi Police.
“On September 25, I received a call from my bank asking me if I had authorised my wife’s credit card to pay Dh15,000 in traffic fines. During the conversation, the bank also realised that my card too had been compromised to pay off Dh5,000 worth of fines,” the victim said, adding that the bank has now blocked both cards.
Beware of hackers
This incident comes three months after XPRESS reported a Filipino engineer whose credit card was hacked to allegedly pay Dh25,000 in traffic fines to the police in the capital.
The Abu Dhabi Police then told XPRESS that they had launched an investigation into the incident.
In the latest incident, the Indian expatriate who requested to be identified with his initials R.B., said: “My bank has been very responsive so far and is communicating clearly with me on the status of the fraud transactions on my cards.”
He has filed a dispute form (in Arabic) to an Abu Dhabi bank, which is the payment portal for settling these fines to the police.
“This will help my bank initiate action against the perpetrators in this fraud,” the frustrated victim said. “As of now, my bank said it will keep the outstanding payment on hold. Although I don’t have to immediately settle it, I may have to pay it later and then wait for the bank to reimburse me.”
He added: “My wife’s card is hardly used other than for normal groceries. My card, on the other hand, is very active. I travel often and I use it to book my hotel and flights. I don’t know why my wife’s card was hacked to pay off such hefty fines,” he said.
Police response
An official from Abu Dhabi Police confirmed there were cases of credit card fraud currently being investigated. “It is important for you to approach any request to obtain identifying data, such as passwords or banking information, with extreme caution. Never respond to random emails that promise benefits or rewards for providing credit card or banking information. Always be exceptionally cautious when requested to provide any personal or financial information over the phone.
“Please contact your local police department if you suspect that you are the victim, or have been the target, of credit card fraud,” the official said.
