A man of Asian nationality was sentenced to one month in jail in Dubai after defrauding an employee of Dh8,000 by pretending to be a bank representative, authorities said.
The Dubai Court of Misdemeanours also ordered the man to pay the full value of the stolen money and face deportation after completing his sentence.
The incident occurred in February when an Arab employee reported to police that he had been defrauded. The victim said he received a call from the defendant claiming that the bank needed to update his personal information to prevent his account from being frozen.
Believing the call was genuine, the employee shared his bank account number, card details, Emirates ID, and a one-time password (OTP). Shortly after, Dh8,000 was withdrawn from his account and transferred to a card issued by a local exchange house. He immediately reported the fraud to authorities.
During questioning, the suspect denied involvement, claiming someone else had previously taken his ID to find a job and might have opened the account.
The court, however, rejected this defense, citing evidence that the defendant himself opened the exchange-house account and used the stolen funds for two purchases.
The court found him guilty and issued the sentence of one month imprisonment, full restitution, and subsequent deportation.
