Sharjah Police arrest man over matchmaker scam

SHARJAH // A 20-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of posing as a female matchmaker on social media.

Police said the man, who holds a Comoros Island passport, used the pseudonym Umm Reem to con both men and women into believing he could find them a spouse in return for Dh70,000.

A woman from Sharjah said she wired him a large amount of money to find her a husband before he stopped responding to her messages.

She reported the man to Sharjah Police.

The suspect, who lived in Dubai, would get his mother collect the cash from money exchanges.

Most of his alleged victims were men and women from GCC countries.

Police warned residents not to fall prey to online con artists and to report any suspicious activities.