Woman in Dubai jailed for car sale fraud

She has been sentenced to three months in prison and must pay Dh153,000

The seller claimed to be selling luxury cars that belonged to a royal family in the UAE, the court was told. AFP

A social media influencer in Dubai has been sentenced to three months in jail for posing as a car seller and defrauding a buyer.

Dubai Criminal Court handed down the sentence last week for the crime committed in September 2021.

The Emirati buyer said the woman, who has thousands of followers, posted on her Snapchat account that she was selling luxury cars that belonged to a leading family in the UAE. The cars were being sold for significantly less than their market value.

He said once he showed interest in buying one of the vehicles, the woman asked for a deposit of Dh153,000 ($41,600) to be transferred into the bank account of her Filipina assistant, according to court documents.

“I knew the lady was promoting ads on Snapchat. She told me about cars for sale at cheap prices,” the buyer said in court.

“I discovered the scam after wiring the money to the second accused.”

The victim said he did not get a refund or the car so he filed a complaint at the Al Raffa Police Station in January 2022.

Dubai Police arrested the assistant who had received the money on behalf of the accused.

In court, public prosecutors charged the woman with fraud dealings and ordered her to pay Dh153,000, equivalent to the money she had received from the buyer.

The assistant was fined Dh10,000.

The verdict is subject to appeal within 15 days.

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