‘US soldier’ defrauds woman of Dh200,000

— Three men defrauded a woman of Dh200,000 after one of them introduced himself as a US soldier on Linkedin and pretended he was planning to launch an investment project worth $4.2 million in the UAE.

He told the victim the funds were with the customs and Dh200,000 needed to be paid in fees for clearance and pick-up.

According to Bur Dubai prosecutor Mitra Ibrahim Madani, the case was cracked in coordination with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The complainant said she was a victim of fraud after the man introduced himself to her as a US soldier in Iraq who was to retire soon. He claimed he was interested in investing in the UAE and he would send her documents and funds in bags. He e-mailed the complainant his passport copy.

His accomplice contacted her saying he was at the customs and needed Dh21,000 in cash for clearance fees. She wired him the money and other amounts on different occasions. After she wired a total of Dh200,000, the men kept stalling the shipment $4.2 million. It was then she realised she was dealing with fraudsters and complained to the police.

Investigations revealed that the victim spent long hours talking to the suspect over the phone. He would tell her details of his daily life there while she would share with him her struggles as a divorced mother with children.

The CID officers managed to arrest one of the suspects after tracking the man who collected the money wired by the victim. He was an African using an Asian man’s ID.

Prosecutor Madani urged the public to be very careful when using social media. Madani also advised residents not to share their personal information with strangers.