Sharjah fraudster jailed six months over Dh1.5m fake college enrolment scam
A Sharjah court sentenced a man to six months in prison for swindling Dh1.515 million from a victim he promised to enrol at a prominent college.
Sharjah court jails conman who pocketed Dh1.515m in fake college scheme
The Sharjah Court of First Instance has sentenced a man to six months in prison after convicting him of fraud, emirates247.com reports. The accused collected Dh1.515 million from a victim of Arab nationality by falsely claiming he could secure the man's son a place at a prominent college through his alleged influential connections.
The court also ordered the case referred to the competent civil court and obligated the convicted man to pay all court fees.
How the scheme unfolded
The victim began searching for someone who could help his son gain college admission. A contact told him the accused was able to arrange such enrolments, and the victim reached out to him by phone. The accused confirmed he could deliver, then requested an initial Dh70,000 in cash, which the victim's son handed over at a shopping centre in Sharjah.
The accused did not stop there. He subsequently met the victim at a hotel, where he claimed that registering the son required Dh445,000 to cover the first academic year's expenses, and an additional Dh1 million for investment purposes. The following day, the victim's son delivered a combined sum of Dh1.445 million. The accused never fulfilled any part of his promise and did not return the funds.
Deliberate effort to avoid a paper trail
The victim's legal representative told the court that the accused had structured every step of the transaction to eliminate traceable evidence. He insisted on receiving all payments in cash, claiming his work prevented him from using a bank account, and required that handovers take place inside his private car.
Despite those precautions, investigators were able to reconstruct the full timeline of the relationship — tracing the accused's identity, documenting meetings and correspondence between the two parties, recording money transfers, and gathering witness statements alongside telephone records.
Witness testimony proved decisive
A woman who maintained a professional relationship with the victim and both a professional and personal relationship with the accused testified before the court. She stated that she had attempted to mediate the dispute after learning the accused had taken the money, and that he had admitted to her directly that he had received the funds.
Conviction
After reviewing all evidence, the court concluded that the accused had used a false identity and fraudulent methods that induced the victim to hand over the money. It ruled to convict him, sentenced him to six months in prison, referred the matter to the competent civil court, and ordered him to bear the court costs.