An unemployed Nigerian man was arraigned before Dubai Criminal Court on Monday, January 18, for trying to withdraw more than Dh500,000 from another man’s bank account using an Emirates ID card that the account holder had lost.
The ID card belonged to a man from Kenya who had lost his wallet in March last year. Two months later the Nigerian was contacted by a friend who had found the Kenyan man’s wallet. He asked the Nigerian to visit the bank on Khalid bin Al Waleed Road in Dubai, use the ID card to pose as the Kenyan and withdraw Dh580,000 from his account.
In return, he would be paid Dh50,000, the friend told him. The fraud was thwarted when a bank employee spotted the difference between the Nigerian and the photo on the ID card. The man fled the bank, but was arrested five months later.
In court, he admitted using an Emirates ID card belonging to someone else, forging the bank account withdrawal slip by signing it and adding his personal details, using the forged slip, and attempting to fraudulently obtain Dh580,000.
The man whose name was not revealed will be sentenced on February 8.
