An Abu Dhabi court has ordered a convicted fraudster to repay 42,500 dirhams to a tenant who lost the money in a fake rent payment scam. Khaleej Times reported the ruling.
The tenant was preparing to renew his lease when he received a message from someone posing as an employee of his property management company. The message told him to transfer his rent to a specified bank account. He complied, believing the instructions were genuine. He only found out later that the account did not belong to the company at all.
A criminal court convicted the fraudster over the scam. The tenant then filed a separate civil case at the Abu Dhabi Family, Civil and Administrative Claims Court. He sought full repayment of the money he lost. He also asked for 10,000 dirhams in material, moral and psychological damages. On top of that, he requested 10 per cent interest, counted from the date he filed the claim until the day he is actually paid.
The civil court ordered the fraudster to repay Dh42,500. It relied on the criminal court's earlier findings to reach that decision. Under UAE law, a criminal court's findings on the facts of a case are conclusive. A civil court hearing a related claim cannot reopen or reconsider them. That let the civil judge move straight to ordering repayment rather than re-examining what happened.
The case is a reminder for residents renewing or paying rent to confirm bank account details directly with their landlord or property management company. Do this using a phone number you already have on file, not one included in the message itself. Never treat a mid-lease request to change payment details as routine, even when it looks like it comes from a familiar contact. Fraudsters often time these messages around lease renewal, when a rent transfer is expected and less likely to draw a second look.
If a transfer has already gone to the wrong account, residents should contact their bank immediately. Ask about freezing or reversing the payment, then report the incident to the police.