Dubai: Blogger, friend jailed for defrauding follower of $41,700

PHOTO

UAE - A blogger and her friend have been convicted for defrauding a follower and taking Dh153,000 from him after promising to sell him an expensive vehicle.

According to police records, the victim filed a report stating that he had been defrauded by a Gulf national girl who posted advertisements on social media. He saw an ad for VIP luxury vehicles at cheap prices on the social media platform Snapchat and contacted her to purchase a vehicle.

She asked him to transfer Dh153,000 to a bank account she claimed belonged to the secretary of the owner of the vehicle. He transferred the money to the account, which actually belonged to the blogger's friend. After the transfer, the blogger delayed the delivery of the vehicle and evaded the victim's attempts to contact her. Realising he had been scammed, the man filed a report with the police.

The victim provided receipts for money transfers and the text messages between himself and the blogger. He also gave the police the bank account number to which he had transferred the money.

The owner of the account admitted that she had received the money and handed it over to the blogger at the request of the latter. However, she denied any knowledge that the money was obtained through fraud.

The Dubai Public Prosecution charged the blogger for seizing the money of the victim in a fraudulent way. The friend was charged with possession of money obtained from a fraud. The court sentenced them to three months imprisonment in absentia and fined them the seized amount in addition to Dh10,000.