Customer service staff steals 3.4M reward points

I discovered that 708,000 points were lost from my membership account and were transferred to vouchers worth Dh4,725.” A witness

DUBAI — A customer service employee at a telecommunications company went on trial for allegedly embezzling 3.4 million reward points worth Dh29,000 belonging to customers.

The 25-year-old Egyptian allegedly transferred the points into free purchase vouchers and used them at various outlets to buy food, travel tickets, cinema tickets and other items. The alleged crime was carried out from July 2015 to October 2016. The complaint was filed at Al Rashidiya police station.

Public prosecution records show that the employee used his access privilege to log into the system and then enter the customers’ accounts in the rewards programme by using his own mobile number. He then claimed he lost the password to be given the new codes sent to his own number. He used the new codes to access the customers’ accounts and make use of the reward points they had for his own benefit.

He pleaded not guilty to embezzlement and forgery charges in the Court of First Instance. One of the Emirati customers, whose reward points were embezzled, said: “An unknown person stole the reward points I had to make purchases online and buy travel tickets. I have a bank card and each time I use it, I get points added to my loyalty membership number as per an agreement between the telecommunication provider and various shops and businesses.

“I discovered, however, that 708,000 points were lost from my membership account and were transferred to vouchers worth Dh4,725. I contacted my telecommunication provider but could not understand what happened.

“When I contacted the portal on which some purchases were made I was told they would reveal the identity of that person when requested by the authorities,” the 34-year-old said.