Dubai: Man jailed for scamming woman out of Dh202,000

A 43-year-old expat was sentenced to three months in prison after duping a woman into investing Dh202,000 in a fake project, according to records at the Dubai Misdemeanours Court.

The convict met the woman as he visited a bank to obtain a vehicle loan for his wife. The victim was the employee responsible to help him secure the loan.

The man then asked her to be a partner in a food trading project, but she refused the offer, saying she did not have sufficient funds.

Three months later, the convict returned and asked her to invest in another project. He presented a profitable plan that involved importing second-hand vehicles and repairing them at a workshop that he planned to establish.

He even arranged a phone call with the victim and dealers from outside the country to discuss the plan. They talked about how the vehicles would be sourced and their final resale value after repair.

The woman said that the convict claimed to be a customs inspector. She added that he promised to clear the imported vehicles quickly.

The woman, convinced by the business idea, handed the amount to the convict after she was told that the profits would be split between the two of them.

However, months later, he gave her Dh5,000, switched off his phone and disappeared. She then realised she had fallen victim to a fraud and informed the police.

The police formed an investigation team that nabbed the man. He then attempted to justify the deposits in his account by saying that he had lent her some money earlier, which she is returning.

Besides the handing jail term, the Dubai Misdemeanours Court asked him to return the amount he took from the woman and referred the case to a civil court.

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