The Dubai Courts. ARCHIVE

A 30-member gang and seven companies were convicted in Dubai for money laundering and embezzling Dh32 million in an online scam targeting individuals and companies. The Money Laundering Court at the Dubai Courts sentenced the gang members to a combined total of 96 years in jail. The group will be deported after serving their jail term. They were also ordered to jointly pay a fine of Dh32 million. The court ordered the confiscation of computers and phones that they used in the crime. The court also imposed a total fine of Dh700,000 on seven companies involved in the case. The court may also confiscate funds or assets belonging to the defendants to cover the fine. Counselor Ismail Madani, Senior Advocate General and Head of Public Funds Prosecution, said that the gang stole the money by sending 118,000 phishing emails to victims, impersonating banks and financial institutions. The emails requested the victims to transfer payments to the group’s accounts. Later, the defendants cashed out the money or transferred it to other accounts, while other defendants purchased used cars to hide the illicit source of the funds. ICA/Expat Media
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