Sharjah Appeal Court jails rental scam trio for one year, deports
Fraudsters used fake rental offer and forged lease to trick victim into paying money.
Sharjah: Sharjah Court of Appeal has sentenced three people to one year in prison followed by deportation after they fraudulently obtained money from a man by falsely claiming they had the right to rent out a residential unit they did not own.
The court found the trio guilty of deceiving the victim into believing they were authorised to lease the property. It also upheld the confiscation of items seized in connection with the case.
The defendants were convicted of using a fake rental offer to deceive the victim and collect money from him by creating the false impression that they had legal rights to lease the apartment.
The case began when the defendants used an advertisement posted on social media platforms offering a residential unit for rent at an attractive price to lure potential tenants.
The victim saw the advertisement and contacted the phone numbers provided. After communicating with the defendants, he inspected the apartment and agreed to rent it from one of them.
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He then paid part of the rent amount and submitted the required documents, awaiting the issuance of the official lease contract and completion of the necessary rental procedures.
Shortly afterwards, one of the defendants sent the victim a copy of a lease contract, claiming it was the official document proving his right to rent and use the apartment.
However, the victim decided to verify the authenticity of the contract with the relevant authorities. During the verification process, he discovered that the apartment belonged to another person and that the information mentioned in the contract did not match the official records.
Realising that he had been deceived, the victim reported the incident to the authorities.
Investigations were launched, leading to the identification of the accused and their referral to the judiciary.
Earlier, Sharjah Misdemeanours Court had sentenced the three defendants to three months in prison followed by deportation and ordered the confiscation of items seized in the case.
The Public Prosecution appealed the ruling, requesting a stricter penalty. Following the appeal, Sharjah Court of Appeal increased the sentence to one year in prison followed by deportation while maintaining the confiscation order.
