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Man loses Dh84,000 in fake lottery scam; UAE court sentences 2 to jail
The callers allegedly presented themselves as representatives of a government entity, helping create the impression that the unexpected prize was genuine
- PUBLISHED: Sat 26 Sept 2026, 6:00 AM
Two men who posed as representatives of a government entity and convinced a victim that he had won a Dh200,000 cash prize have been sentenced to prison. The victim found that Dh84,000 had been debited from his account instead.
The Sharjah Misdemeanours Court sentenced both defendants in absentia to six months in prison and ordered their deportation from the UAE.
How the scam unfolded
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According to court records, the fraud began when the victim received a phone call informing him that he had supposedly won Dh200,000. The callers allegedly presented themselves as representatives of a government entity, helping create the impression that the unexpected prize was genuine. They then told the victim that he needed to complete certain procedures before the Dh200,000 could be released to him. As part of the supposed verification process, the men requested personal identification and banking information from the victim.
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They also persuaded him to provide a one-time password, or OTP, associated with his bank account. Believing that he was following legitimate procedures necessary to receive his prize, the victim complied with the requests. But instead of seeing Dh200,000 deposited into his account, he discovered that money had been taken from it. A total of Dh84,000 was withdrawn, according to the case records.
The court case
The incident was reported to the authorities. The case then reached the Sharjah Misdemeanours Court, where the circumstances surrounding the phone calls and subsequent movement of money were examined.
Prosecutors accused the defendants of using fraudulent methods to obtain the victim’s banking information and gain access to his funds. The court convicted both men and sentenced each of them, in absentia, to six months in prison. It further ordered that they be deported from the country.
The case highlights a common tactic in financial scams — creating excitement or urgency around a fake prize, then asking the target to share confidential details.
The fraudsters strengthened the deception by claiming a link to an official entity. The OTP request was especially significant — such codes exist as an extra layer of security for banking transactions.
Once the victim shared the information, the promised windfall became a Dh84,000 loss instead.