Top five scams to watch out for in UAE - from sellers of fake iPhones to conmen in Rolls Royce

  DUBAI - UAE residents beware of fraudsters that you might encounter on the streets as Ramadan ends and Eid Al Fitr begins. The Dubai Municipality has removed over 70 scam artists and beggars as part of their intensified anti-begging campaign this month. We look at the top five scams that residents should be mindful about: Petrol money scam These scammers usually haunt Dubai petrol stations in their cars or four-wheel-drives bearing car license plates from other places. They’ll come knocking on your car window, asking for money so they can drive their family back home, usually dropping names of places like Saudi Arabia and Oman. They usually have children on board. Sick man scam Residents in Al Barsha have reported encountering a sad-looking man who would ask money for treatment of some kind of sickness or injury. To convince you to give him some money, he might show you “injuries” or “wounds” on his arm or belly. Sick child scam The other version of the scam mentioned earlier involves an abaya-clad woman accompanied by a child. The woman would claim that her child is sick and will ask you for money so she could pay for her child’s treatment. A few residents in Dubai neighbourhoods, such as International City, have said such scammers knocked on their doors. Cheap iPhone scammer The latest iPhone for Dh1,000? Don’t be deceived. People involved in this type of scam usually hang out at parking lots near malls in Deira and will offer you what they will claim as a brand new iPhone for just Dh1,000. They will even show you a receipt and say they are selling the phone cheap to pay some urgent bills. The scammer will be in a hurry to finish the transaction and will distract you so you won’t have time to notice that you’re actually getting a fake iPhone. Conman on Rolls Royce This serial conman targets Dubai car owners, driving around in a Rolls Royce while looking for people who want to sell their cars. He will offer to buy your car and drive with you to the nearest RTA Tasjeel office just before closing time so you could transfer the car ownership to him. At the last minute, he will offer you a cheque, which will later turn out to be a dud.