Two individuals have been arrested in Dubai for posing as employees of official and international entities and defrauding several residents in a phone scam that totalled AED 11.8 million.
Interrogations revealed that the suspects tricked victims into believing they were named in criminal cases outside the country, and intimidated them into paying to avoid legal action.
The victims were convinced to book into hotel rooms and cut ties with families and friends until the payouts were completed via bank transfers to accounts outside the country.
Dubai Police said a specialised task force from the Anti-Fraud Centre analysed the data and traced the funds to the suspects.
During investigations, the suspects claimed they were recruited by a company outside the UAE via social media, and were given the victims' data and an app to contact them.
The suspects added that payments were received after every successful transaction.
Dubai Police urged residents to be extremely vigilant and to verify information through officially-approved channels.
They also called on the community to report any fraud via Dubai Police's "eCrime" platform or the 901 call centre.
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