UAE court jails trio for Dh800,000 real estate scam targeting couple

Abu Dhabi: Three Arab nationals have been convicted in Abu Dhabi for orchestrating a sophisticated real estate scam that defrauded a man and his wife of Dh800,000 through a fake property financing company, Emarat Al Youm reported. 

The couple were lured by an online advertisement posted on Facebook promoting an alleged real estate finance firm. 

The wife contacted a man who introduced himself as a sales manager at the company, and after a series of meetings, the couple were persuaded to purchase a villa from what they believed was a well-known property developer. 

The fraudsters provided forged commercial licenses, fake sales agreements, and a counterfeit contract bearing the name of a government entity to gain the couple’s trust.

Convinced the deal was genuine, the husband paid Dh800,000 as a down payment for the villa. 

Soon after, the supposed agents vanished, prompting the couple to file a complaint with the police. Authorities arrested the suspects, who were later charged by the Public Prosecution with fraud and forgery.

The Criminal Court sentenced the three men to six months in prison, ordered them to repay the stolen amount, confiscated the forged documents, and ruled for their deportation after serving their terms. The couple subsequently filed a civil lawsuit to recover their losses and seek damages.

In its ruling, the Civil Court affirmed that the criminal conviction established the defendants’ guilt and their liability for the harm caused. 

It said the couple suffered not only financial loss but also emotional distress, citing the disruption to their financial stability and the loss of confidence after the failed investment.

The court ordered the defendants to jointly pay Dh900,000, including the Dh800,000 taken and an additional Dh100,000 in compensation, plus legal interest of 5 per cent from the date of the claim until full repayment.