Man stole card data to buy Dh390,000 of airtickets, Dubai court told

Dubai // A driver used stolen credit-card details to buy hundreds of airline tickets, the Dubai Criminal Court has heard.

M R, 22, is accused of fraudulently obtaining 309 plane tickets worth Dh390,000. The Palestinian is charged with using the details of credit cards belonging to other people to buy the tickets.

Prosecutors said he also forged 89 more tickets by filling in false information.

H E, a 23-year-old Emirati, is charged with aiding and abetting the Palestinian.

The fraud, in September 2011, was discovered when Emirates Airline started receiving emails from several banks complaining that their customers’ credit cards had been used to buy tickets without their knowledge.

A R, a 39-year-old Iranian security officer, testified that the customers whose credit cards were used to buy the tickets did not even travel.

“The complaint was lodged against M R because he had a history of such crimes,” the officer said.

Prosecutors said the Palestinian admitted being paid between Dh100 and Dh150 for each ticket he booked for a man in Egypt.

Both men denied the charges.

The next hearing will be on February 10.

salamir@thenational.ae