DUBAI // A man, a wife and their daughter have been referred to court for fraud after three men filed complaints against them.
Records show that Egyptian SE, 62, wife SO, 57, and their 25-year-old daughter OSE are accused of conning the three men by pretending to own a ship maintenance company.
They are charged with fraudulently obtaining Dh881,500 from TH, Dh700,000 from AA and Dh284,000 from AEA.
On January 26, fellow Egyptian TH, 56, lodged a complaint saying that the defendants scammed him and stole his money.
“I met them in 2011 and they told me they owned a company for ships and boats maintenance and offered that I become a partner. I believed them because I was deceived by their religious looks,” said the man.
He added that he met them often at the location of the alleged company and became a partner, paying money out to cover several agreements.
“The first amount I paid was Dh250,000 then they told me that I gained profit of Dh26,000, which lured me to stay with them,” said TH, who paid them more money until he became suspicious in 2013 because he had received no actual profit in hand.
He said that he needed cash last year and when he asked the defendants to pay him from his profits, they gave him a dud cheque. “I then knew that the company was shut down,” he added.
AA said he was introduced to the defendants by TH, who is his neighbour, and he also invested with the family and was conned. “They asked for Dh250,000 as a first investment and said that my profits will be determined according to the type and size of project,” said AA, who paid Dh200,000 more a few months later but received no profits at all.
The third complainer, 48-year-old Emirati AEA, said he was conned when he sent his sailing boat for maintenance at the defendants’ company.
The mother and daughter appeared at Dubai Court of Misdemeanours and both denied the charges. The father was not present.
The next hearing is on October 26.
salamir@thenational.ae
