I wish someone had warned me before that there are also scammers in Dubai. But I guess we can’t have everything fed on us. So we had to learn a lot of them ourselves.
The worst scam we experienced was from someone pretending to be a cancer patient. She used a really emotional narrative to tell her pitiful story so she could solicit financial aid for her chemo sessions. This con artist has convinced us really well with her drama. She has all the medical records to support. And, she sounded so meek and “spiritual” when people talk to her.
Not too long after, suspicions arise and someone did a thorough background check. It was discovered that she’s been scamming people for years using different tactics. We lost 9,000 dirhams. But a total of 600k were lost from the other victims who gave money.
In another scam, a freelance agent offered to help us arrange a business visa for someone. Complete trust was built with all the legal docs and accreditation she presented. After giving the payment, we never heard from the lady again.
We lost 10,000.
Recently, a friend shared this new scam story. Like a typical plot, this fraudster couple is endearing themselves to her victims in the beginning. So apparently, they are renting out spaces in various areas in Dubai. Then they use their tenant’s names to register for utilities like landline and internet connections. Apparently, their IDs were used beyond that. It appeared that a crazy amount of debts were later credited to the victims. As of today, the damage has amounted to AED 1.2 million for 9 different people who were scammed.
Another one, this lady ordered bulk shirts from us to resell. We trusted her because she worked with me in the past. When she’s not being able to pay, we investigated and found out that she has swindling cases here and there. Lost money: 3,000 worth of products.
There was also this event organizer who asked me to design the event logo. I never heard of him after I deliver the work. Then he ended up using my logo on all official event materials. Later he was arrested for a bigger fraud case related to the event he organized.
Pinoy, do you still trust your fellowmen abroad?
Before, we’re very comfortable here whenever we’re surrounded by our “kababayans.” Do we still feel the same today?
Really ironic how we feel safe in the foreign land but we worry about being taken advantage of by our fellow men.
What to do when you are scammed?
Some of these swindlers are still on the loose hunting new victims to devour.
I hope this will remind us all to be extra careful (also a note to myself). Never share your personal details especially over the phone. Never let someone else hold your Emirates ID. You should be the only one keeping your Emirates ID.
Fraud starts the moment you let someone take hold of it. If you ever got scammed, report to the police immediately. You can download the Dubai Police app, or visit the Smart Police Station kiosks, in case you don’t want to do it face to face with an officer. More often than not, the police here are very helpful in such cases. You just need to come complete with details and supporting documents.
If there are options, we cannot just say, “Si Lord na ang bahala.” Let’s try to do our part, then have faith na si Lord na ang bahala after that.
