Dubai Police have arrested six suspects for running a phone scam after a victim alerted the authorities about her savings being wiped out in mysterious bank transactions when "she was fast asleep".
A specialised investigation team was set up to track the suspects after a woman, identified as S.N. by Dubai Police, lodged a complaint about how she woke up to find much of her savings depleted.
"I wasn’t even using my phone or making any purchases. I was fast asleep while someone was draining money from my account," she recalled.
Hers wasn't the only complaint that the General Department of Criminal Investigation had received.
Investigations revealed that the suspects had set up a fake online shopping website to capture victims’ bank details, used it to make unauthorised purchases, and create digital wallets to receive stolen funds.
Dubai Police added that the six-member group - dubbed the ‘Unexpected Deduction’ gang - was tracked and their location identified following "extensive surveillance".
The suspects were arrested in a coordinated raid, with bank cards and cheque books of several victims recovered from their residence.
Further investigation revealed that the suspects also sold the bank details of some of the victims to other scamsters.
Dubai Police urged the public to exercise caution when conducting online transactions and report any unfamiliar financial transactions or suspicious activities by dialling 901 or via Dubai Police smart app and official website.
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