Picture for illustrative purposes only. ARCHIVE

A man has been sentenced to one year in prison and deportation after impersonating a Dubai Police officer to defraud a European woman of Dh39,900 in a phone scam. The Criminal Court in Dubai found the Asian man guilty of forgery, impersonation, and fraud. According to court records, the incident occurred in July 2022 when the man contacted the victim, posing as a police officer from the Public Funds Investigation Department. He falsely claimed to be updating her account details and requested her personal information, including passport data and a one-time password (OTP). Despite initial hesitations, the woman complied after receiving a fake police ID via WhatsApp. Shortly after the call, Dh39,900 was transferred from her account to an unknown account. She immediately reported the scam to the police and her bank. Dubai authorities tracked the man’s movements and arrested him. During questioning, he admitted to his role in the scam and identified an accomplice who remains at large. The court fined the defendant the equivalent of the stolen amount and sentenced him to deportation after serving his prison term. ICA/Expat Media
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