Two men have been arrested after a joint operation between police in Abu Dhabi and Ajman aimed at bringing cold-calling fraudsters to justice.
The pair are alleged to have cheated victims out of savings and wiped out their bank balances after tricking them into sharing sensitive financial information.
Police did not reveal the exact methods used, but offenders often encourage people to share details by falsely offering cash prizes or posing as representatives of official organisations such as banks.
Police seized a number of mobile phones, Sim cards believed to have been used as part of the criminal enterprise, as well as cash.
Major General Mohammed Suhail Al Rashidi, director of the criminal security sector at Abu Dhabi Police, said the force is committed to stopping opportunistic gangs who target the public.
He thanked Ajman Police for their support in the anti-fraud campaign.
Colonel Rashid Khalaf Al Dhaheri, director of criminal investigations at Abu Dhabi Police, urged residents not to disclose bank account and credit card details, or any other financial information, during unsolicited calls.
He stressed that banks do not ask customers to update such details over the phone.
The senior officer said several reports had been received recently from victims stating fraudsters had said their bank accounts would be frozen if they did not provide information.
Members of the public can report such suspicious calls to the free crime reporting service, Aman, on 800 2626 and their banks.
Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
- Steve Baker
- Peter Bone
- Ben Bradley
- Andrew Bridgen
- Maria Caulfield
- Simon Clarke
- Philip Davies
- Nadine Dorries
- James Duddridge
- Mark Francois
- Chris Green
- Adam Holloway
- Andrea Jenkyns
- Anne-Marie Morris
- Sheryll Murray
- Jacob Rees-Mogg
- Laurence Robertson
- Lee Rowley
- Henry Smith
- Martin Vickers
- John Whittingdale
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It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
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