Woman swindles investor’s Dhs134,000

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

DUBAI: A woman established a ghost company allegedly belonging to a prince and conned an American investor out of Dhs134, 000 worth transactions clearance fees.

The Asian woman –a general manager, 44- was refered to the Dubai Criminal Court on Wednesday on suspicion she forged a Professional Licence alleging that she had opened up a coffee shop in Internet City for the American investor, 41.

She forged for herself a business card attributed to the ghost company. It bore her identification details as the manager and also mentioned the company’s alleged address in Dubai. She presented the fake licence and card to the investor.

She handed him a counterfeit receipt attributed to the company and fixed a duplicate stamp in this regard. She duped him into paying for processing fees for the establishment of the coffee shop, as per his complaint at Al Barsha Police Station.

The incident came to light on April 18 last year. A report from an economic development department dated Jan.23 confirmed the alleged company never existed. Prosecutors demanded the toughest punishment. She will be tried on Apr.10.

On the record, the investor got into contact with her through her dealings with his friends. She gave him the bogus business card. He later discovered she was a contracting company employee. He asked to have a look at a copy of her visa.

She claimed that the contracting company and the transactions clearance company were among companies belonging to the royal. She kept pretending to receive calls and claiming that it was the royal talking to her over the phone.

She also kept telling him that the royal told her to do this or that. She gained his confidence that she was a manager and a representative for the transactions clearance company. He asked her to help him open up the shop in Internet City area.  

He started handing her money to be used as fees at the Dubai Municipality, the Economic Development Department and concerned bodies. She Whatsapped him a trade licence copy and told him that she had finalised necessary procedures.

He detected errors on the licence. She Whatsapped him an edited copy then asked him for money to rent for him an office in the Free Zone area, a room for the shop, a workers’ accommodation and also processing visas for the workers.

He went to open a bank account. The bank sent him to the economic department to process a necessary letter. The department told him his trade licence was fake. A legal consultant confronted her. She cried and promised to refund but defaulted.