Dubai Police have warned people about the dangers of purchasing last-minute airline tickets for just a fraction of the regular price after capturing a man who booked many tickets for people with the use of a robbed credit card.
The Asian man cheated on several people and purchased airline tickets by making a fake online travel agency and using a robbed credit card.
Dubai Police did not mention details regarding the number of tickets bought or their price.
The director of the Cybercrime Department at Dubai Police, Col Saeed Al Hajiri, stated that airline ticket fraud usually occurs during the summer and holidays. However, the number of cases in the UAE still has fallen significantly.
Dubai Police reported 36 cases of airline ticket fraud since 2009 and June 2022.
The Asian man has been the only case reported in 2022 compared to eight cases in 2021. Other than that, two cases were recorded in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and following a drop in overall travel.
Col Al Hajiri said that fake airline ticket scammers are commonly active in the summer season, but there has been a significant drop in the number of cases in Dubai. This year only one case of the same has been reported.
Dubai Police stated the arrest was part of a continuing operation named Bats Hunt, which is in partnership with Interpol, airline companies as well as global airports.
Col Al Hajiri asked the public to book their airline tickets via verified airline agents and companies.
He stated, “Be careful before you purchase, or you could end up with no ticket and losing your money to criminals.”
“Always purchase the ticket from officials. Sometimes scammers make a faux website posing as an authorised agent or airline company,” he added.
He further urged passengers to go through the approved list of travel agents in the Emirates with the Economic Development Department and the travel agent’s permission or licences.