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Bank staff forge documents to issue credit cards in customers' name, embezzle Dh1.5m

Dubai - The forgery came to light after complaint from a customer who lost Dh38,000.

A sales executive, along with two others, allegedly embezzled Dh1.5 million after forging documents and fraudulently obtaining 72 credit cards in the names of bank customers.
The Court of First Instance heard the three Pakistani men, aged 39, 38 and 23, forged copies of the customers' residence visas by changing the occupation thereon. They used the forged copies later and presented them to the bank staff - also charged in the case - to get credit cards in the names of customers. They have two accomplices, who are at large.  
"On April 21, 2017, I received a complaint from a bank customer that a credit card had been issued in his name and Dh38,100 was spent using that card without his approval. The complainant said that he gave his original documents to a bank employee (defendant) to issue a credit card," said the vice-chairman of the investigation department at the bank. However, the complainant could not avail of any money as his bank statement and residence visa copy had been forged.
"We found that six applications were filed by the same bank employee, all forged in the same method, through which credit cards had been issued and Dh96,282 was spent," he added.
"After checking our records, we found that there were more than 72 applications in which credit cards were issued to the benefit of four persons on trial, among them was a Pakistani female employee at the bank."
Eight persons have been charged with aiding and abetting the three main accused to obtain the credit cards.
The sales executive admitted during investigation he had availed of credit cards, along with the second accused, using forged papers with the help of three bank staff, two men and a woman.
They would change the jobs on the residence visa copies and then send the application forms through to the bank. The bank staff who received the applications were aware of the fraud and forgery.
The second accused gave a similar statement to investigators.
mary@khaleejtimes.com