Dubai: A real estate agent was on the verge of falling prey to a scam that promised him $5 million (Dh18.4 million) when he smelt something fishy about the deal, said a senior Dubai Police official.
An African gang arrived in Dubai with suitcases filled with black notes, which they claimed were genuine dollars coated with a blank ink, to pass it through from Africa to Dubai, said Lieutenant Colonel Ahmad Bin Galita, Director of the Crime Prevention Department of Dubai Police.
The three-member gang approached the real estate official with a suitcase filled with the black notes claiming that they were actually $10 million, he said. They demonstrated the scam in front of him whereby they applied "special chemicals" that removed the black coating on a currency note to reveal a genuine dollar note.
"They requested around Dh5,000 as a payment to purchase the ‘specialised chemicals' and other payments to pay for shipment expenses," said Lt. Col. Bin Galita.
The deal was to collect the payment from the victim in return for 50 per cent of the fake $10 million.
The victim was about to close the deal with the gang when he realised it could be a scam, although they used many tactics on him such as promising him they will buy properties with the amount they have, said Lt. Col. Bin Galita.
He told the gang that he doesn't have the amount with him at the moment but he should have it in the evening. He contacted the police and agreed to help in an operation.
The Economic Crimes and Crime Prevention Departments of Dubai Police collaborated to arrest the gang.
The gang approached the real estate man at 8pm to collect the sum of money ostensibly to buy "specialised and expensive chemicals."
The three members were arrested and the case has been referred to the Public Prosecution.