Abu Dhabi police are warning local residents that money may be stolen from their bank balances through “electronic magnetisation” and exploitation of contactless payment technology.
The warning comes after widely shared videos emerged on social media purporting to show contactless payment technology being used to steal funds from victims without their knowledge.
In a statement, Colonel Amran Ahmed Al Mazrouei, Abu Dhabi’s director of criminal investigations, said that although such thefts were possible, none has so far been recorded in the emirate.
To prevent such incidents, Colonel Al Mazrouei warned residents to monitor and report any suspicious transactions, as well as any suspicious people seen while withdrawing money or paying bills.
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB), for its part, noted that it continuously evaluates, develops and implements security procedures to respond to modern-day threats, and warned its customers to not share account details with anyone and to report any suspicious of fraud or theft.