Dubai Police warn residents after man falls victim to part-time job fraud

Dubai Police have warned against fraudsters offering fake part-time jobs and deceiving victims who are looking for work. According to the authority, the fraudsters ask people to open fake bank accounts and then use those to channel funds obtained through illegal means to accounts controlled by their gangs.

A case of a young man named 'S' was shared by the police. He saw an advertisement for a remote part-time job on social media. Enticed by the promise of a quick and flexible income, he applied for the job. He then received a message informing him that he had been accepted on a preliminary basis.

The 'employers' pretended to be an external financial services company and asked 'S' to open an account in his name or use an existing bank account "for administrative purposes." The young man then started receiving varying amounts of money in his account and was asked to quickly transfer them to another account, seemingly to settle transactions or process client transfers. He received a commission per transfer.

The police were called in the young man for questioning after reviewing the bank transfers. 'S' confirmed that he had no idea he was working for a gang, and had just been following orders as part of what he thought was a legitimate job.

Dubai Police said that this type of fraud usually starts with an enticing ad for a job — one that pays a quick income for simple tasks.

Once an individual applies, they are "accepted" and asked to transfer money under false pretenses, such as registration fees or account activation. They may be asked to share personal and banking details as well.

Dubai Police said that in some cases, victims bank accounts are used for fraudulent transactions "entirely without their knowledge." The nature of this fraud means that the victim may not only lose funds, but also be implicated legally in the crimes committed by the fraud gangs.

Immediately report any attempts of fraud through the eCrime platform or by calling 901 for non-emergency cases.

Supreeta is a digital journalist who reads between the lines as she churns out stories. She finds joy in K-pop, exploring new hobbies, and tackling her never-ending list of books to read.