Saturday: 27 March 2010:
A UAE resident loses her life savings to a fraud
A 42-year old resident woman has approached ADP regarding being fallen victim to a cyber fraud by a foreigner. He deceived her that he would marry her. She sent him Dh110, 000. Then he switched off his mobile and stopped all communications.
The woman who is identifies as “N” said “I work as a secretary in one of private sector companies in the country. I have known him through a matrimonial website after I have signed up on it. After a few days their relationship became strong, they talked about love and started planning for the future”.
“He has proposed marriage to me provided I look after his little son whose mother has died recently while giving births. He has also told me to prepare herself to live with him in his home country. Later he sent me photos of his home, his mother and his son who she would look after him. I have agreed to these conditions for marriage”, she added.
Colonel (Dr.) Rashid Mohammad Bu Rasheed, Head of Organized Crime at ADP CID, urges the public to be more careful when approached by people via the internet or mobile phones. He also urges people to report on the spot any such incidents or fraudulent websites.
“N” has transferred the money through a money exchange company on different payments to the person and his colleagues to different bank accounts in different countries after he cheated her by posing as a businessman who has to travel a lot.
He promised her to come to UAE so as to meet her in Abu Dhabi Airport. He gave her his flight number and date of arrival, but he did not show up.
She told police that she had sent to him the savings of her life, in addition to Dh5,000 she had borrowed from her friends to complete the total amount of Dh110,000. She is only now left with Dh70 in her account.
She has claimed that the reason of her behavior is due to social and psychological pressure from her family who limited her freedom. According to social norms a girl should get married at young age.
The Department of “Security Media” at the Secretariat general of the Office of HH the Deputy prime Minister and Minister of Interior launched recently a media campaign to raise the public awareness and warning them against falling victims to fraud through the internet, mobile phones or SMS.
The Penal law
The (1987) Federal Penal Law punishes fraud crimes that carried out through electronic means with a jail sentence of not less than one year, plus a fine of Dh 30 thousand or with one of these two punishments, if anyone tries to steal others money through the internet by fraudulent methods.