Jeddah police officers have arrested a Yemeni national for cheating elderly people at ATMs.

Lt. Nawaf Al-Bouq, spokesman of the Jeddah Police Department, told local media that the 33-year-old man had a criminal history including impersonating Saudi citizens, drug trafficking, and defrauding bank clients at ATMs. “He targeted seniors and people unfamiliar with ATMs,” said Al-Bouq.

The man said he had stolen SR897,099. “However, when he was arrested he had SR48,522 on him, the amount from the last three frauds he had committed,” Al-Bouq said.

He said investigations revealed that the man had been involved in 79 fraudulent operations. He had a criminal record that included theft, forgery and embezzlement, he said.

“The man had been deported once before but managed to return. He cheated people in various Jeddah districts including Al-Mahjar, Al-Jamiah, Mushrefah, Al-Sharafiyah, Al-Thager and Al-Bawadi,” he said.

Al-Bouq said the man moved from one district to another to avoid being caught. “He entered the country using fake identity documents,” he said.

He said the man would approach people unfamiliar with the workings of an ATM. He would then stand in line with a fake ATM card. When the victim asked for help, he would punch in their pin number, and then switch the cards, which he would use later to withdraw large sums of money.

Brig. Abdullah Qahtani, director general of the Jeddah police, has asked police departments across the country to check if the man was involved in fraud in other regions.

Al-Bouq warned citizens not to ask strangers for help, and rather go into a bank and ask officials for assistance. He said security agencies have issued many warnings about this type of fraud.