Man duped into selling Audi Q5 for dud cheque

DUBAI A South African expat in Dubai is crying foul after conmen audaciously drove away with his white Audi Q5 in exchange for a dud cheque.

Mohammad, 27, a marketing professional, told XPRESS he had put his car up for sale on a popular online forum on December 13, following which a man called “Hamad” struck a deal with him to buy it for Dh126,000, a couple of thousands lower than the advertised price. They agreed on a cash payment and were to meet at the Tasjeel office in Al Barsha the next day to conduct the sale. But at the time of the appointment, Hamad sent his “manager” Abdullah who claimed he looked after his steel and woodwork business in Jebel Ali.

Mohammad said he paid Dh1,460 towards his outstanding fines as well as Dh20 for the VIP service as it was past regular working hours.

Sequence of events

“At 1.15am on December 15, I signed over the vehicle in what I was led to believe was Hamad’s name. The deal was concluded and just as Abdullah and I walked out of the Tasjeel office, Hamad arrived on the scene and requested the car keys. I asked for the cash but was handed over a cheque. When I insisted on cash payment, they told me it was not safe to carry such a large amount. They assured me it was a company cheque and I had nothing to worry about. They were polite and courteous. Abdullah even offered to drive me home in his Infiniti while Hamad parked the Q5 at the back of the Tasjeel office.”

As it turns out, this was the last Mohammad saw of Hamad.

Mohammad, who went to the concerned bank in Jebel Ali to deposit the cheque the same day, received the shock of his life when he discovered it had bounced. He immediately called Hamad but there was no response. “When I called Abdullah, he sounded surprised. He told me to wait at the bank as he would bring the cash and collect the dud cheque.”

Mohammad said he waited in vain and Abdullah now promised to drop off the cash at his apartment later in the evening. “I tried to contact him at the agreed time but there was no response. Mohammad said Hamad called to tell him he was in Qatar and would be returning to Dubai the next day to settle the matter. “By then, his phone was turned off and I never heard from either him or Abdullah again.”

The South African man said he wanted to share his story to caution others against such incidents. He said a fortnight on, he is still running from pillar to post to recover his car or the money.

“I have lodged a police complaint and also filed a case of fraud in court. I never imagined that such a thing could happen to me in safe Dubai. The transfer process needs to be redefined and there has to be some screening through which such dubious buyers can be tracked and identified. It is a frightening experience as so many transactions take place with cheques. There has to be safety net in place.”

YOUSPEAK: What precautions should car sellers take to avoid being conned?