Man impersonates doctor, dupes medical centre

dubai — A Dubai expat is standing trial at the Dubai Court of First Instance for reportedly using the credentials of a physician and duping a medical centre manager of Dh24,900.

Public prosecution records showed that the 43-year-old Egyptian man forged licences and allegedly used the account details of a dermatologist to gain illegal access into an eregistration system for physicians. Then, he told a medical centre manager that he ran an office that could finalise registration procedures for doctors. He charged him a total of Dh24,900 for the fake service, according to court records.

He is facing charges of forgery, fraud and gaining illegal access into an e-system.

The case dates back to December 2017 and was reported at the Al Rafaa police station. Two complainants were involved — the manager he reportedly duped and the dermatologist he allegedly impersonated.

The 50-year-old Syrian dermatologist said: “In 2013, I had an agreement with an Emirati owner of several medical centres to work for him. After sending him the necessary required documents, an account was set up for me in the DHA’s esystem and I was given its details (username and password). I then paid Dh 5,000 towards getting the license. But he (the centre’s owner) could not secure me a job.

“However, since November 2017, I received e-mails that fees were paid by me (through my account) for applications that were filed in my name but which I was not aware of. I also received some payment notifications. I was in the UAE then.” The dermatologist discovered that the defendant renewed his licence three times in Dubai.

“He later offered me Dh 21,000, worth of remuneration for three months which he got from a medical centre,” the witness told the prosecution investigator. The other complainant, a 54-year-old Iraqi national who manages a medical centre, told the prosecutor that he paid the defendant a Dh21,000 cheque after the latter claimed to him that he had an office that takes charge of doctors’ registrations.

“After the plaintiff (the dermatologist) became aware of what the defendant did in his name, the accused later claimed that he would pay me back my money but he stalled.” The trial has been adjourned to March 15.