Local bankers alarmed by credit card forgery / Qatar 

Doha: The discovery of counterfeit credit cards in Doha recently has caused alarm among bankers, with some calling for vigilance and others for additional security features on credit cards.

However, the incident has caused only limited damage and did not disrupt the smooth running of ATMs in the country.

Early this week, two South Americans were arrested after they had purchased goods worth QR300,000 using forged credit cards. Police seized 38 forged cards from their possession.

Mujib Turki Al Turki, Director of Banking Control Department at Qatar Central Bank (QCB), told the Al Sharq daily that the scam — the first of its kind in the country — had originated in South East Asian countries, where the main gangs specialising in forgery operate.

He said the forgery was uncovered when the Qatar International Islamic Bank (QIIB) officials became suspicious as an unusually large amount of money was withdrawn using some credit cards.

Experts


All local banks have experts specialised in monitoring transactions done through credit cards and report any irregularity they notice, he noted.

Mujib Al Turki added that the forgery did not affect the ATMs and the Qatari market was relatively small, which made it easy to uncover such forgeries and limit the damage quickly.

The credit cards used here were made by internationally renowned companies and contained many safety features, he said.

An official at a local bank told The Peninsula that a number of controls had been put in place to detect counterfeits involving credit cards.

He said his customers are immediately notified whenever a purchase or withdrawal is made with their credit card through an SMS message detailing their bank statement, to their mobile phones.

However, he cautioned credit card users to keep track of their transactions and alert banks immediately in case of loss of a card.

But he said it would be preferable if more controls on credit card use are introduced such as additional passwords or introducing a biometrics system, where finger prints are used instead of passwords.