Dubai Man Imprisoned After Dh2,000 Facebook Rental Scam Exposed

The Dubai Misdemeanours Court has sentenced an Asian man to a jail term after he was found guilty of possessing Dh2,000 obtained through an online apartment rental scam.

The incident occurred in March, when a victim -- also of Asian nationality -- lodged a complaint after being deceived by a fraudulent listing advertising an apartment for rent. After contacting the advertiser via Facebook, he transferred Dh2,000 as a reservation deposit.

According to the complaint, the defendant met the victim in person and showed him an apartment in Dubai’s Al Satwa district. Shortly afterwards, he switched off his phone and blocked the victim on WhatsApp and Facebook, leading the victim to realise he had been scammed.

Investigators later confirmed the listing was fake and created for the sole purpose of deception. A Dubai police officer testified that the Criminal Investigation Department traced the bank transfer, which ultimately led to the suspect’s arrest.

The investigation found that the man had been using a fabricated online profile to entice prospective tenants, sharing images of luxury apartments at attractive prices and exploiting residents’ search for affordable housing.

The court convicted him of possessing funds derived from electronic fraud and imposed a custodial sentence.

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