New wave of ATM fraud hits Qatar banks

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ATM WARNING: Banks in Qatar have advised customers to change PIN codes. (Getty Images)

Two banks in Qatar admitted on Wednesday that they had fallen victim to a new wave of ATM fraud incidents.

Qatar Islamic Bank and HSBC in Doha have sent out text messages to customers warning them to change their PIN numbers, officials confirmed.

“We have sent out text messages to certain customers whose accounts have been hit to change their PIN. The fraudsters have copied PIN codes and withdrawn cash,” Abdul Rahman Al Zaid, in-charge of corporate banking at Qatar Islamic Bank, told Qatar daily The Peninsula on Wednesday.

HSBC has also asked its customers via a text message sent out on Tuesday not to use its ATMs overseas until the bank is sure all customers are safe from possible theft of PIN codes.

One Arabic language daily in Qatar also reported Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) had formed a committee to solve the problem of accounts being hacked into.

This latest development comes as The Central Bank of the UAE launched an investigation into ATM fraud following a spate of incidents across the country in September.

On September 25, the Central Bank summoned officials from a number of banks to a meeting in which they were informed of the investigation.

Thousands of customers were affected by a regional wave of ATM fraud in September. Customers were told to change their pin numbers for their ATM cards in a text message.

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