Man falls victim to du post-paid card racket

Dubai: An Indian laundry worker claims he has been duped by two du representatives who faked his salary certificate to get him to subscribe to a new post-paid number.

Sikander Ali, 39, from Lucknow said he met these men when they were distributing ‘free’ sim cards near Maya supermarket in Satwa.

“There was a crowd around them and people were picking up new du numbers like hot cake. A salesman told me the deal was part of a special offer wherein the telecom provider was giving sim cards for free so I decided to go for it.”

Ploy

“They took a copy of my Emirates ID. The following day my number was activated. But I did not use it. Imagine my surprise when I got a call from du two months later saying there was an outstanding in my account. I was told the sim card was post-paid and I had to pay a certain amount every month.”

Ali said he was intrigued that he had been given a post-paid number without him submitting his salary certificate which is mandatory for such connections.

“I asked du to send me a copy of my bills and supporting documents. My worst fears came true when I found that the salary certificate was fake. It claimed I draw Dh2,500 working for Safa Trading. This is not true as I work for Richies Laundry and earn just Dh1,200.”

This is not the first time when du has been accused of handing out post-paid connections to low income workers, a facility only extended to customers with a minimum salary of Dh2,500.

Recently, Gulf News reported how du agents visited a workers accommodation offering “free SIM cards with 300 minutes and 1GB data packages” that could be used for a month.

When XPRESS raised Ali’s issue with du, a spokesperson said they have reversed his charges and closed the account.

“We take complaints of this nature very seriously and have a zero tolerance policy with regards to any fraudulent activity and non-eligible sales of any du products or services. We regularly conduct random checks as a proactive step to prevent market abuse and fraud, which can happen from time to time as isolated cases – and which we make a top priority by taking the necessary actions when required,” du said in an email statement.

“We have investigated this case on high priority and escalated this issue to the management of the partner who activated the line... we have been in communication with the customer who is satisfied with our course of action and is convinced with the resolution,” the statement read.