Credit card fraudsters arrested in Oman

Muscat: Three alleged international credit card thieves were apprehended hours before they were scheduled to board a flight out of the country, the Royal Oman Police reported on Friday.

The arrests came after police detained one of the gang members at Muscat International Airport when he produced what appeared to be a forged passport. A search of his baggage yielded a stash of 60 credit cards, all of which were later found to be faked.

When questioned, the suspect revealed that two of his accomplices had flown in earlier on a scamming mission. During investigations, police discovered that the gang had already targeted commercial establishments and businesses elsewhere in the GCC and were scheduled to fly out of Muscat the same day the initial arrest was made.

Authorities have tightened surveillance and controls after a string of credit card scams involving mainly overseas based criminals arriving into Oman in the guise of tourists and businessmen.