The anti-narcotics wing of Abu Dhabi Police warned the public against allowing others to manage their personal bank accounts. This includes allowing another person to withdraw or transfer money from the account to other accounts inside or outside the country, which may expose the account holder to legal repercussions.
Police said that a number of people in the UAE were found to be victims of drug traffickers who used them to open bank accounts and then asked to use those bank accounts for money transfers. These traffickers deceived the account holders and said transfers made were only of profits earned in normal commercial operations. However, with timely investigation, it has been discovered that these strangers exploited bank accounts for their personal interests by transferring funds earned through illicit drug trafficking without the knowledge of the bank account owners.
The authority confirmed that drug traffickers were trying to find new ways to collect and move money made from sale of drugs.
The bank account holder who may have had no idea of these operations authorizes the trafficker to manage his or her account – the money sent this way would be used to buy narcotic substances. This kind of activity will also then expose the account holder to drug-trafficking and money-laundering charges.
- Inputs from WAM
