Dubai Police issue warning against housemaid scam amid COVID-19
Scammers collect anywhere between Dh9,000-13,000 from each victim with false promises
Dubai: Dubai Police have warned the public against scammers who use social media platforms to lure victims by offering housemaids to meet the demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brigadier Saeed Hamad Bin Sulaiman, Director of Al Rashidiya police station, said the scammers were collecting anywhere between Dh9,000 and Dh13,000 from their victims with a promise of getting a housemaid.
He said that Al Rashidiya police station recorded 14 complaints from different victims about individuals illegally obtaining money since the beginning of the pandemic last year.
“The scammers used social media platform to offer housemaids despite the lockdown in many countries during the pandemic. Scammers illegally obtained Dh87,520 from their victims since February 2020,” said Brig Bin Sulaiman.
He said police noticed the increase in complaints as more people wanted to recruit housemaids.
“There was a high demand for housemaids as there was a shortage due to lockdown in some airports. Fraudsters were offering a reasonable price for bringing maids within a week or a month,” added Brig Bin Sulaiman.
He said that scammers were making different excuses for not keeping up their word and would disappear with the money.
Dubai Police formed a team to trace the culprits and arrest them.
Family scammed of Dh35,000
According to Brig Bin Sulaiman, a scammer conned a family of Dh35,000 after promising three housemaids.
“The family asked him first for one housemaid and he brought her after signing a fake contract on behalf of a recruitment office to gain their trust. The family asked for three more housemaids and wired the money to the scammer’s bank account,” said Brig Bin Sulaiman.
The suspect didn’t answer the family’s calls and disappeared. The family reported him to the police.
Warning
Brig Bin Sulaiman warned the public against fake ads about providing housemaids quickly or at fees less than the market rate.
“People should always use authorised entities to hire housemaids to avoid falling victims to scammers,” he added.