Dubai businessman saved from fraud scam by phone call from police

The victim had been targeted by a known fraudster who was under surveillance from Dubai Police

Not paying a phone bill before you leave the UAE can cause problems further down the line . Reuters

A Dubai businessman was saved from falling prey to a potential scam thanks to a timely call from police who had the fraudster under surveillance.

The unwitting Indian man was targeted by a trickster who offered to partner with him in his business plans.

The 21-year-old met with the offender, from Cameroon, at Al Ghurair Centre in the emirate in May to discuss arrangements.

The prospective business partner even showed the man a bag containing $500,000 to prove he had the financial muscle to strike a deal.

"I was looking for a partner to my contracting company when the accused contacted me," said the businessman.
"We agreed and he handed me the money bag containing half a million US dollars," said the man.

Following the meeting, the Indian citizen received a call from Dubai Police's criminal investigations team informing him of the man's criminal record and was asked to assist officers in bringing him to justice.

He set up a second meeting with the defendant, where police were in place to apprehend him.

He was found to be in possession of counterfeit money when arrested alongside an accomplice.

Police said in court records that the two men had been involved in other fraud cases.

“I was assigned to keep them under surveillance because they scammed a women. Then we saw them meeting with the Indian businessman,” said an Emirati policeman.

During police and prosecution questioning, the pair admitted attempting to defraud the victim.

The pair were referred to court on charges of attempted fraud and possessing fake money, which they denied last month.
During a hearing at Dubai Criminal Court on Thursday, they were convicted and sentenced to a year in prison each and jointly fined Dh40,000.

The two men, whose ages were not disclosed in court records, are to be deported at the end of their prison terms.