ABU DHABI // When Akram Mirza learnt that 39 illegal transactions were made on his Visa debit card in the Philippines on Saturday and Sunday, he panicked. When he learnt that nearly Dh30,000 had been withdrawn from his account, he was devastated.
Mr Mirza, a German national working in Abu Dhabi's oil industry, is now waiting for Citibank to reimburse him.
Mr Mirza, who shares his UAE debit account with his wife, said: "My questions were, first, on which card were the withdrawals made, my wife's or mine?" he said. "And they couldn't answer that question, which I found bizarre.
"And then I asked, 'Isn't there a limit on the daily withdrawal you can make?' And they said, 'Yes, in your case, it's Dh10,000'. It was clearly not enforced."
Mr Mirza and thousands more people who use the nation's interlinked banking network have received messages telling them to change the personal identification numbers for their ATM cards.
Miriam al Hilali, 24, a student of the University of Westminster in the UK who works here for a subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company, expressed concern that whoever illegally charged Dh8,200 to her Visa debit card yesterday knew details of her bank account.
"It's like the thieves knew my information. They knew I had a credit limit of Dh5,000 for outside the country," said Ms Hilali, whose card was issued by the National Bank of Abu Dhabi.
She said the transactions, made in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, were in two increments, each just below the limit.
"How can they know this sort of information?" she said. "I feel used. I'm really upset."
She is also concerned because the bank is disputing her claim. "I told the bank they had to repay me, but at first they said it wasn't their fault. I told them I would take them to court over this even if it was only Dh80."
Even though banking officials say that only a small number of people were directly affected by the fraudulent transactions, there is a sense of distress and confusion for some.
The banks that have sent messages to their customers have been curt, even confusing. The HSBC hotline, for example, told customers yesterday to change their PINs before 6pm, or face having their ATM cards cancelled.
The bank, however, said there would be no mass termination of cards. "The only circumstances when HSBC will block a card is when the bank sees fraudulent transactions taking place on that card," Jonathan Campbell-James, HSBC Middle East's head of security, said in a statement. "In such cases, HSBC will contact the customer, advise them what has been done, organise a refund and issue a new card free of charge."
But as 6pm approached yesterday, dozens of HSBC customers joined long queues at ATMs because they were still being warned by the bank's phone operators that their cards would be blocked if they did not change their PINs in time.
"HSBC told me at 4.45pm to change my code or else they were going to block my card," said Wael Jundi, 28, a financial adviser at SinoGulf, as he waited in a 30-person queue at Al Wahda Mall yesterday.
"This is a disaster. They have to give me a reasonable time to change my card. What if I was on vacation or something?"
As HSBC, Citibank, the National Bank of Abu Dhabi and other major financial institutions warned their customers, patrons of other banks said they received no such admonitions.
Joseph Joy and his wife, Bindu, said they had not received warnings from their banks, Mashreq Bank and the National Bank of Dubai.
"We haven't received any warnings or text messages," said Mr Joy, with his wife nodding in agreement. "I mean, we heard rumours about something happening, but they're not sending us messages or anything like that."
Outside the offices of several banks in Abu Dhabi yesterday - including the Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Mashreq Bank and the National Bank of Dubai - only a few people appeared to be banking, none with the urgency seen at other banks.
In spite of the somewhat confusing text warnings issued by some banks, customers were relieved that they were alerted to the fraud.
Angie Davidson, 45, said her husband, in Pakistan on business, received a warning text and immediately phoned her to change the PIN on their HSBC card.
"The text really concerned him, so I came to change the card," said Mrs Davidson, who expressed surprise when informed of the extent of the fraud. "I'm glad I came now."
@email:hnaylor@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
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Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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Results
Men's finals
45kg:Duc Le Hoang (VIE) beat Zolfi Amirhossein (IRI) points 29-28. 48kg: Naruephon Chittra (THA) beat Joseph Vanlalhruaia (IND) TKO round 2.
51kg: Sakchai Chamchit (THA) beat Salam Al Suwaid (IRQ) TKO round 1. 54kg: Veerasak Senanue (THA) beat Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) 30-25.
57kg: Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) RSC round 3. 60kg: Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 30-27.
63.5kg: Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE) 29-28. 67kg: Narin Wonglakhon (THA) beat Mohammed Mardi (UAE) 29-28.
71kg: Amine El Moatassime (UAE) w/o Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ). 75kg: Youssef Abboud (LBN) w/o Ayoob Saki (IRI).
81kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Khaled Tarraf (LBN) 29-28. 86kg: Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Emil Umayev (KAZ) 30-27.
91kg: Hamid Reza Kordabadi (IRI) beat Mohamad Osaily (LBN) RSC round 1. 91-plus kg: Mohammadrezapoor Shirmohammad (IRI) beat Abdulla Hasan (IRQ) 30-27.
Women's finals
45kg: Somruethai Siripathum (THA) beat Ha Huu Huynh (VIE) 30-27. 48kg: Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Colleen Saddi (PHI) 30-27.
51kg: Wansawang Srila Or (THA) beat Thuy Phuong Trieu (VIE) 29-28. 54kg: Ruchira Wongsriwo (THA) beat Zeinab Khatoun (LBN) 30-26.
57kg: Sara Idriss (LBN) beat Zahra Nasiri Bargh (IRI) 30-27. 60kg: Kaewrudee Kamtakrapoom (THA) beat Sedigheh Hajivand (IRI) TKO round 2.
63.5kg: Nadiya Moghaddam (IRI) w/o Reem Al Issa (JOR).
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
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The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
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