Photo: Reuters
Dubai - A large number of fraudulent messages were sent using those lines.
Two Asian men were convicted for forging and using commercial licenses in Ras Al Khaimah Free Zone in order to obtain 10 SIM cards with which to deceive bank customers through text messages.
The two men deceived customers into believing their bank cards were blocked and needed to be renewed — only to then gain access to their accounts and steal their money.
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The Dubai Criminal Court convicted the two men on charges of forgery of official documents, fraud and acquiring money by fraudulent means. The duo will serve a three-month jail term, followed by deportation.
According to a report in Emarat Al Youm, an official in one of the two telecommunications companies said that customers reported receiving messages stating their bank cards were blocked and that they need to contact these numbers to address the issue.
He added that the messages were sent from three numbers out of several others issued for a pair of companies in the Ras Al Khaimah Free Zone. Investigations found both companies were not registered with the authority.
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It was further discovered that 10 phone lines were issued for each company in the past year, and that a large number of fraudulent messages were sent using those lines.