UAE: Woman duped in phone scam, court orders fraudsters to repay Dh40,900

A court in Abu Dhabi has ordered two defendants to repay more than Dh40,000 to an Emirati woman after finding they deceived her in an online scheme.

The court ruling on January 8, 2026, stated that the Al Dhafra Court of First Instance found that the two scammers obtained the money by contacting the victim by phone and falsely claiming to be government employees. They told her to download a mobile application and transfer Dh40,900 to several bank accounts. After doing so, she discovered that she had been a victim of fraud.

The defendants were convicted in absentia for acquiring property belonging to the plaintiff and sentenced to three months imprisonment with a suspended sentence and deportation from the country. No appeal was filed, and the judgment became final.

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Court records show that the defendants had already been criminally convicted in a separate case. The first defendants was lodged at Bur Dubai Detention Center and the second at Al Qusais Detention Center

During the civil proceedings, the court confirmed that the defendants had received Dh22,500 and Dh18,409 respectively from the plaintiff’s account. Neither defendant had returned any portion of the money, prompting the civil claim.

The court ruled that the defendants must jointly repay the full amounts they had unlawfully obtained. Additionally, the plaintiff had sought compensation of Dh9,000 for material and moral damages. The court awarded partial compensation for material damages, recognising the financial harm caused by the fraud, but rejected the claim for moral or reputational damages, citing insufficient evidence.

The court also ordered the defendants to cover reasonable court expenses, while rejecting the plaintiff’s claim for attorney fees, as she had represented herself in the proceedings.