Dubai Police have fully recovered more than Dh1 million for an Arab woman who was defrauded by a scammer posing as a government official. According to police, the fraudster contacted the woman while she was travelling abroad, claiming her bank account had been flagged as suspicious and needed urgent verification.
He told her to keep the matter confidential, warning that disclosing it could jeopardise what he described as an ongoing investigation. After she returned to the UAE, the scammer instructed her to transfer the funds to an account under his control, promising the money would be returned once the verification process was complete.
The scheme unravelled when the victim went to her bank for what the fraudster had described as a staff meeting to finalise the matter, only to find no one was there to meet her. Realising she had been deceived, she reported the incident to Dubai Police.
Lieutenant Colonel Ali Al Yamahi said: "The suspect exploited the woman's trust and fear" to pressure her into following his instructions. Following an investigation, Dubai Police successfully recovered the full amount and returned it to her.
Police reiterated that no government body or bank will ever request fund transfers or account details over a phone call or text message, and urged residents and visitors to verify the legitimacy of any such contact before acting, reporting suspicious calls through official police channels.