Fake Rent Payment Scam: Abu Dhabi Court Orders Convicted Fraudster To Return Dh42,500

A fraudster who tricked a tenant into transferring Dh42,500 in rent to a fake bank account has been convicted, a court has ruled. The fraud began when the tenant, who was renting a property from a company, received a message from a person posing as an employee of the firm as he was preparing to renew his lease.

The impersonator instructed him to transfer the rent payment to a specified bank account. Believing the instructions had come from an authorised representative of the property company, the tenant transferred Dh42,500.

He later discovered that the account did not belong to the company and that he had fallen victim to a scam. The incident resulted in a criminal complaint and subsequent proceedings in which the person connected to the fraudulent transaction was convicted.

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Following the criminal case, the victim turned to the civil court in an attempt to recover the money he had lost.

He filed a lawsuit before the Abu Dhabi Family, Civil and Administrative Claims Court, demanding that the defendant repay the full Dh42,500.

The tenant also sought Dh10,000 in compensation for the material, moral and psychological damage he said resulted from the fraud, as well as legal interest of 10 per cent from the date the claim was filed until payment.

In considering the case, the civil court relied on the findings established in the earlier criminal proceedings.

Under the principle governing the relationship between criminal and civil judgments, findings conclusively determined by a criminal court concerning the act underlying both proceedings cannot be reconsidered by the civil court.

The court subsequently ordered the defendant to return the Dh42,500 transferred by the tenant.

The incident highlights the risks of acting on payment instructions received through messages without independently confirming the recipient's bank details with the landlord or property management company.

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