Fraudsters Ordered to Pay Dh30,566 Over Abu Dhabi Apartment Rental Fraud

A fake apartment rental deal has cost fraudsters in Abu Dhabi after a court ordered them to return Dh15,566 taken from a victim and pay an additional Dh15,000 in compensation for the financial and emotional harm caused.

The Abu Dhabi Family, Civil and Administrative Cases Court issued the ruling after finding that the suspects had deceived the complainant by falsely claiming to be real estate brokers and offering an apartment for rent.

According to court records, the victim was contacted by one of the suspects through WhatsApp, where they presented themselves as property agents. After the victim agreed to rent the apartment, the suspects asked him to transfer Dh3,000 as a security deposit to one of their bank accounts.

They later instructed him to transfer another Dh9,666 as the first installment of the rent to the bank account of the alleged property owner’s fiancée. The suspects then demanded an additional Dh2,900 as a brokerage fee, bringing the total amount paid by the victim to Dh15,566.

However, despite receiving the money, the suspects failed to complete the rental agreement or provide the apartment as promised.

The victim subsequently filed a criminal complaint, resulting in a conviction against the suspects for causing financial and moral harm. He later approached the civil court seeking the recovery of Dh15,566, compensation of Dh35,000, and payment of legal costs.

After examining the evidence and transaction records, the court found that the victim had transferred the full amount to the suspects and ordered them to refund Dh15,566. The court also ruled that their actions had caused both material and moral damages, awarding the victim Dh15,000 as comprehensive compensation.

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