Brigadier Khalifa Balhai, Director of the Criminal Investigations and Research Directorate, confirmed that one of the victims, an Arab national, reported that he had been subjected to a scam.

The investigation team-initiated procedures and identified the beneficiary of the wired money. After arresting and confronting him, the beneficiary admitted that members of the network had lured him into opening a bank account in his name in exchange for a commission or a travel ticket.

The Brigadier added that the investigations resulted in busting the accused, and the evidence showed an organized role played by the network’s members, which consisted of making false promises that included attracting workers, providing them with housing, opening bank accounts in their names, and exploiting those accounts to transfer the money obtained from fraud operations, in exchange for sums of money and commissions.

A quantity of contraband was found during the bust, including bank cards, checkbooks, passports, as well as multiple electronic devices including phones, tablets, storage units and computers, in addition to the use of company seals, official documents, receipts and financial books belonging to several companies.

The police urged the public to exercise caution when receiving shady messages and links, asking not to share personal or banking data with any unknown agency.

Verifying the identities of entities and individuals before making any financial transfers is essential. It is also important to report any fraud attempts or suspicious activities right away.