An Abu Dhabi rent payment scam in which a tenant was tricked into transferring Dh42,500 to a fraudulent bank account has ended with a civil court ordering the convicted fraudster to return the full amount.
The case was heard by the Abu Dhabi Family, Civil and Administrative Claims Court after the tenant filed a civil lawsuit following a prior criminal conviction against the defendant.
How the Abu Dhabi rent payment scam unfolded
The tenant was preparing to renew a lease on a property managed by a company when he received a message from someone posing as an employee of that firm. The impersonator instructed him to transfer his rent to a specified bank account.
Believing the message came from an authorised representative, the tenant transferred Dh42,500. He later discovered the account had no connection to the property company and filed a criminal complaint. The person linked to the fraudulent transaction was subsequently convicted.
Gulf Today had reported the case during the earlier criminal proceedings, when the amount involved was described as approximately Dh42,000. The civil ruling confirmed the figure at Dh42,500.
Civil court ruling and what the tenant claimed
In the civil action, the tenant sought repayment of the full Dh42,500, plus Dh10,000 in compensation for material, moral and psychological harm, and legal interest of 10 per cent from the date the claim was filed until payment.
The civil court based its findings on the conclusions already established in the criminal proceedings. Under the principle governing the relationship between criminal and civil judgments in the UAE, facts conclusively determined by a criminal court concerning the act at issue cannot be reconsidered by the civil court.
The court ordered the defendant to repay the Dh42,500. The ruling on the additional compensation and interest claims was not detailed in the available court record.
Legal framework for fraud victims
Victims of fraud in the UAE who secure a criminal conviction against a perpetrator retain the right to pursue a separate civil claim for recovery of their losses. Charles Russell Speechlys notes that a temporary award of damages can be sought from the criminal court on a summary basis pending a civil claim, though the amount the criminal courts may award directly is capped under the UAE Penal Code.
For fraud carried out through impersonation using digital channels, the UAE Federal Decree-Law on Countering Rumours and Cybercrimes sets out provisions covering internet fraud involving false impersonation through information networks. The standard penal code fraud provision, described by Khairallah Legal, is carried into Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021.
Separately, the UAE Penal Code contains no time limitation for civil actions arising from or connected to fraud offences, meaning victims are not barred from pursuing recovery after the criminal case concludes.
How to protect yourself from rent scams
The mechanics of the scheme follow a pattern seen across the UAE: a fraudster intercepts a payment cycle, typically at a renewal or handover moment, and directs the victim to a substitute account before the error can be detected.
Tenants renewing leases should call the property management company directly using a number obtained independently, not from any message, before transferring funds. Account details should be confirmed verbally, not taken from an SMS or messaging-app instruction alone.
The civil repayment order means the defendant must return the Dh42,500 to the victim, though enforcing any such order against a convicted fraudster depends on the defendant’s assets and circumstances at the time of enforcement.
