Dh23,000 routine payment dispute in Dubai unmasks cyber fraud

Dubai: What began as a routine commercial dispute in Dubai over a Dh23,000 payment turned into a case of cyber fraud after investigators found that a hacker had intercepted company emails and diverted the money to an unknown account.

The case reached Dubai’s Centre for Amicable Settlement of Disputes, where one company maintained it had transferred the full amount, presenting bank transfer records as proof. The other company, however, argued it had never received the funds.

A review of the documents uncovered the twist: while the transfer had been carried out, the account details had been tampered with. Investigators determined that an email exchange between the two firms had been intercepted and altered, redirecting the funds to a fraudulent account.

The conciliator explained the findings to both parties before referring the matter to Dubai’s cybercrime authorities for further investigation. The two companies, meanwhile, agreed to settle their dispute amicably.