Woman jailed for using neighbours’ IDs to run up thousands in phone bills

The Jordanian used the women’s Emirates ID cards to obtain the numbers from Etisalat.

DUBAI // A 33-year-old woman was sentenced to three months in jail after being found guilty of using her neighbours’ IDs to run up thousands of dirhams in phone bills.

The Jordanian, who was not present in court, used the women’s Emirates ID cards to obtain the numbers from Etisalat.

One neighbour said the woman, who claimed to suffer from cancer, visited her often to complain about financial difficulties.

“She asked for money and also for a copy of my ID, which I didn’t give her. I don’t know how she managed to get hold of it,” said the Egyptian woman.

A second neighbour, also Egyptian, was contacted by Etisalat over unpaid bills totalling Dh21,000 for two numbers she did not have.

The 39-year-old visited an Etisalat shop and discovered the defendant had obtained two SIM cards using a copy of her ID.

“I gave her my ID after she told me she needed to receive a money transfer and did not have an ID of her own,” said the victim, who reported the woman to police.

The Jordanian also used a 43-year-old Sudanese woman’s ID to run up a Dh7,500 phone bill, also with Etisalat.

Prosecutors said the woman confessed to charges of forgery, use of forged documents and fraudulently obtaining Etisalat numbers, E-life services and a landline.

The incidents happened on May 30, 2013 and before then. It was not clear why the case took three years to get to court.

The woman did not appear at Dubai Criminal Court and was sentenced in absentia.