Abu Dhabi Court Orders Two Fraudsters to Repay Dh168,700 in Fake Bank Email Scam
An Abu Dhabi civil court ordered two convicted fraudsters to repay Dh168,700 stolen via fake bank emails during an apartment rental. Both were sentenced to one year in prison and deportation.
Abu Dhabi Court Orders Repayment of Dh168,700 in Apartment Rental Email Fraud
The Abu Dhabi Family, Civil and Administrative Court has ordered two fraudsters to return Dh168,700 to a man who transferred the funds after receiving fake emails from scammers posing as a bank employee, emirates247.com reports.
According to court records, the victim was in the process of renting an apartment from a real estate company, having agreed through a broker to lease the property for Dh300,000. During the rental procedure, he received emails that appeared to originate from a bank employee, requesting payment of reservation and registration fees as well as a down payment to secure the unit.
The man transferred Dh28,700 to one account and Dh140,000 to a second account. The fraud was subsequently uncovered, and the two defendants were convicted in a criminal case. A judgment in absentia found them guilty and sentenced each to one year in prison followed by deportation.
Court documents confirmed that the criminal judgment established the fraudulent messages had originated from the hacking of the leasing company's email account, with the defendants impersonating a bank employee to deceive the plaintiff into making the transfers.
In its civil ruling, the court affirmed that the law prohibits any person from taking another's property without legitimate cause, and that whoever does so is obliged to return it. The court stated it was bound by the findings of the criminal judgment.
The court, however, rejected the plaintiff's request to hold both defendants jointly liable for the full amount. It found no evidence that either defendant had received or retained funds that had been transferred into the other's account. Each defendant was therefore ordered to repay only the amount proven to have entered his individual account, along with court expenses and legal fees.
The case highlights the growing use of email impersonation tactics in real estate transactions, where fraudsters intercept or replicate official communications to redirect payments into fraudulent accounts.
Source: Google News UAE — Courts & Fraud