Dubai: Greed is what makes a victim fall for the confidence trick known as money "doubling" or the advance-fee fraud, said a senior official of Dubai Police.
A four-member African gang, including a woman, was arrested last month for conning their target into believing that they will make large profit it they hand over some of their money, said Brigadier Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Director of the Criminal Investigations General Department of Dubai Police.
Reportedly, the most common con act in Dubai is where the swindlers ask the victim to provide notes such as Dh500 while claiming that they possess a "specialised machine and chemical" that can create authentic bills from black dyed notes in a process termed as "doubling" money.
The victim is asked to pay a certain sum, ostensibly to purchase "specialised and expensive chemicals", and is then handed a pack of black coated notes and a chemical. According to Major Salah Bu Osaiba, Director of the Economic Crimes Combating Department of Dubai Police, one such case was reported by a European scam victim last month at the Al Muraqabbat Police Station.
An investigative unit, who managed to apprehend one of the suspects in a flat in Al Ghusais, was formed.
The suspect, G.Y, was arrested at 3am on April 8th.
A second suspect, Y.L, was arrested in a hotel lobby while the remaining members were arrested in the room.
The police raided the place to find Dh3,000, $111,200 and 32,000 euros along with both small and large suit cases with black coated notes inside.
