Dubai: Scammers jailed, fined for posing as police officers, defrauding man of Dh9,900

Khaleej Times

a day ago

Five Asian men have been sentenced to a month in jail and were to be deported after they were found guilty of impersonating police officers and defrauding an Arab national of Dh9,900.
The Dubai Misdemeanours Court also fined the defendants a combined total of Dh9,900 for posing as law enforcement officers and pressuring the victim into revealing his bank account details under the pretense of updating his records with the UAE Central Bank.
Court documents revealed that the incident occurred in March, when the victim received a phone call from one of the gang members claiming to be a police officer. The caller told the victim that unless he updated his bank information immediately, his account would be frozen. Alarmed by the warning, the man provided his details, only to discover shortly afterwards that Dh9,900 had been withdrawn from his account without authorisation.
Investigations led Dubai Police to an apartment in Deira, where the suspects had been operating. Several smartphones were seized from the flat, some hidden inside shoes and plastic bags, which had been used to communicate with victims. Forensic investigations confirmed that one of the phones had been used to contact the complainant.
During interrogation, the defendants admitted they were working under the instructions of a man who had rented the apartment and left the country. He provided them with instructions remotely, withdrew funds using the victims' banking data, and paid them a monthly salary ranging between Dh1,800 and Dh2,000.
The court found the five guilty of fraud and identity misrepresentation. After serving their prison terms, they will be deported. Dubai Police have used the case to remind residents not to fall prey to phone scams, particularly those involving callers impersonating police or bank officials.
'Dubai Police do not request banking information over the phone under any circumstances. Any such call should be considered suspicious,' a police spokesperson said, adding: 'If you receive such a call, do not engage. End the conversation and report it immediately through the Dubai Police app or by calling 901."