Salesman memorised customers' credit data to shop online

The Abu Dhabi Police managed to arrest a scheming salesman who was stealing customers’ credit card digits at the shop where he works, by memorising the numbers and using them to go on a shopping spree on the internet.

Colonel Dr Rashid Mohammed Bourshid, Head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Abu Dhabi Police, said that the salesman, a Sri Lankan man who works at an prestigious retail company in Abu Dhabi, confessed to having stolen customers’ credit card information as they used them to pay their bill, using his photographic memory.

Colonel Bourshid added that the suspect used his stealthy ability to carry out online fraud, thinking that he will not be caught.

He stressed that Abu Dhabi Police is vigilant and always ready to catch thieves or law violators, in order to curb all forms of crime.

In detail, Colonel Bourshid said that the CID had recently received a tip-off from a bank, claiming that an unidentified person has been making online purchases using stolen credit card data of some of their customers. He added that Abu Dhabi Police formed an investigation team from the Organised Crime Section to investigate into the said thefts.

“The technical and investigative skills of the team allowed them to identify the IP address used to carry out the purchases, and to identify the suspect, MMF, 25 years old, who had been buying a number of iPhones.

“The items were seized by the police from the suspect’s residence, and are currently trying to make an inventory of other items purchased with the stolen data,” added Colonel Bourshid.

Colonel Bourshid noted that the suspect has been stealing customers’ credit card data thanks to his photographic memory, which allowed him to memorize the credit card digits while swiping it through. He would later use the stolen numbers to make the online purchases, using a copy of the bill, and guessing answers to questions that are asked in online transactions.

Head of CID Department at Abu Dhabi Police warned against such crafty thieves, who resort to such methods. He urged individuals to be cautious when using their credit cards, to not trust strangers or and to not make credit card transactions over insecure networks.

Colonel Bourshid reassured community members, stressing that this first-of-its-kind case is not common, but was handled skillfully by Abu Dhabi Police.

He added that cyber-crimes are not widespread in Abu Dhabi and do not represent a dangerous issue, in comparison with other cities around the world.
 

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