Fake relationships and promises of marriage end in the theft of money

Women have recently become victims of electronic “emotional fraud,” which resulted in the seizure of large sums of money from them. Their stories began by talking to strangers on social networking sites, based on friendship and acquaintance relationships, then developing into exchanging flirtatious expressions, feelings of love, and promises of marriage, and ending with the fraudsters requesting money from them as an advance, or assistance in an emergency situation, and then the other party disappears.

The court halls witnessed cases of victims of emotional fraud after their money was seized by fraudsters through social networking sites, while the police were able to arrest defendants in a number of electronic crimes of this type.

In a court fraud case, a girl fell victim. She was exploited by a person she met through dating programs. After communicating between them for six years, in the hope of marriage, she eventually discovered that she was the victim of a fraud aimed at draining her financial resources, as she sent him amounts amounting to 400 thousand dirhams. After investigating and gathering evidence, the police were able to identify the accused, arrest him, and refer him to the prosecution, and then to the court, which sentenced him to imprisonment and fined him.

The girl’s story began with her acquaintance with a young man who claimed to work in the marine fields, through a marriage application program, and their communication took place on the phone and on WhatsApp, as he claimed that he was busy due to the nature of his work that required him to be constantly absent. The acquaintance lasted six years, and they did not see each other in reality. However, during that period, she helped him financially in many matters, as he used to use the excuse of his need for money to end disputes with his family or to pay it as a result of a traffic accident, treatment, or in resolving issues to finalize an inheritance.

In a second case, a woman of Arab nationality fell into the trap of a group of fraudsters consisting of five Asians and an African. They lured her through the Instagram application, after one of them deluded her into believing that he was a European surgeon. Then he trapped her emotionally in his net, and blocked her number after he and his colleagues seized 900,183 dirhams from her. She discovered that she was the victim of a systematic romantic fraud. She filed a report about the incident, and the Public Prosecution referred them to the court. The Misdemeanor Court ruled that they were convicted, punished them with one month’s imprisonment, and fined them the amount, and the Court of Appeal upheld the ruling.

In a third case, an elderly European woman lost all of her savings, amounting to about 12 million dirhams, after she was lured by a fraudster of the nationality of an African country, who claimed that he was a handsome young man residing in Dubai. The woman sold all her possessions and transferred their value to him, in addition to the money she owned, and moved to Dubai, only to discover that she had fallen into an elaborate trap. It turned out that the fraudster himself did not live in Dubai, but resided in an African country, and the woman was suffering from loneliness and emptiness in her country. The police were informed and all measures were taken to help them prosecute him internationally.

For his part, cybersecurity expert Abdel Nour Sami said that fraud in the concept of love and marriage is not a matter of the moment, as it has been known for a long time, but what has differed in our days is the means of dating first, as social media with its various applications came to the scene, and secondly, the goal changed, as the boy might deceive the girl to reach her social status or her father’s prestige and money, and thirdly the roles were reversed, as the woman became capable and empowered, and thus the boy became The unemployed person is greedy for her money, which is the opposite of what was mentioned above.

He added: “If we look carefully at the matter, we find that it is no longer a fraud in social reality, but rather has become an integral part of the concept and nature of life, as whoever committed this behavior did not actually intend to defraud, as that is his personality and nature, and I am speaking from a behavioral perspective and not a legal one. He practices this matter out of his instinct. Some of them intend to get married, but as soon as they obtain money, they turn to other temptations, including buying what they want, including spending it on others to claim heroism, or to learn about others.” A girl with less potential than him to have the upper hand in the relationship, or perhaps he realizes too late that he did not want marriage, but rather what he gets in return. In reality, these characters live in delusion, psychological disorder, and behavioral imbalance, and the analyzes are endless, and those who fall victim – in our context – are women who are devoted to that man. However, some specialists have interpreted this disorder as (hero complex), and it is not limited to a specific gender, but that may not apply to our society that is led by noble values, but some fraudsters feed on those values.

He pointed out that seeking sympathy is an innate human behavior, and when necessary, some people practice it to deceive good-hearted people and exploit their good intentions with the aim of obtaining their money or trapping them in legal cases that may be organized or unorganized. As for the unorganized cases, as I talked about, they are through regular, non-targeted acquaintance, while organized is what is done through dating and marriage sites, and there are applications dedicated to that, which some frustrated and unsuccessful people resort to in their social life with the desire to get married, and after a period of acquaintance the other party begins. By requesting money or hinting at gifts, this person usually works within an organized gang or applications where income depends on “support,” “donation,” or “gifts,” and he may be male or female. He pointed out that the male may use fabricated clips, and there are gangs that actually marry people through this site in foreign countries after the victim travels, and this opens the doors of other danger, including that the person is secretly photographed, for the purpose of threatening him later, and in some cases, once the fraudster obtains the money, he disappears forever.

He continued: “There are examples in our surroundings. There are many males or females you talk to on social media, perhaps on an almost daily or rare basis, and suddenly they ask you for a favor or urgent help – despite the fact that there is no prior relationship between you and these people – under the pretext of circumstances or an emergency situation in the family, and the request may be as an advance, and if you apologize or refuse, you will notice either a change in the other party’s style by claiming victimhood, with what is called (the victim card), or speaking to you rudely, under the pretext that you are not worthy. For respect and he cannot depend on you, to push you to gain his respect or he will delete you immediately.”

He explained that what is considered emotional fraud is a daily behavior practiced by some people, who may be referred to as “narcissists” or “those with borderline disorder,” but the actual reason due to which victims fall is the first lesson we have learned in our lives: Do not talk to strangers, beware of fraud. This fraud does not necessarily come from strangers, but rather after the relationship deepens, takes root, and develops, because no one reveals his true identity until late.

For his part, lawyer Ali Musabih confirmed that social media has become an open stage for relationships and acquaintances, and a new type of crime has emerged that hides behind words of affection and messages of love, and targets the weakest areas of a person (his heart). It is the crime of emotional fraud, and this is when “virtual love” turns into a tool for financial and emotional fraud at the same time.

He cited repeated cases with similar details, including: A girl meets a person through an application or communication platform. He initially appears as an ideal man, speaking in the language of love and care. Then he begins to weave threads of trust and delude her of his serious desire for marriage and stability. Over time, he asks her for sums of money under one of these pretexts: “an emergency circumstance,” “preparations for marriage,” “a joint future project,” and “financial distress.” The victim responds out of love and trust, only to discover later that Emotion was a bait, and the “promises of marriage” were nothing but a systematic fraudulent tool.

Musabih pointed out that this behavior (emotional fraud) is legally considered among the fraud crimes stipulated in the Penal Code, which punishes anyone who seizes the money of others by using fraudulent methods or by assuming a false name or incorrect description.

The elements of the crime are present when the perpetrator is able to deceive the victim and lure him into handing over money based on an untrue incident or false promises. However, if this is accompanied by exploitation of emotions or a threat to expose the relationship and publish photos, an aggravating circumstance is added to the crime, because it is linked to another crime, which is electronic blackmail, which is punishable in the decree law on combating rumors and electronic crimes. “The penalty shall be imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years and a fine not less than 250 thousand dirhams and not more than 500 thousand dirhams, or one of these two penalties, for anyone who blackmails or threatens another person to force him to do or abstain from doing an act, using an information network or a social media means.

Musabih added: “The penalty shall be temporary imprisonment for a period not exceeding 10 years if the threat of committing a crime or attributing matters that violate honor or reputation is accompanied by an explicit or implicit request to do or abstain from doing an act.” Musabih stressed that the victim in these cases not only loses her money, but also suffers psychological shock and loss of confidence in herself and others. He explained that the greatest danger lies in the fact that these crimes often begin in secret, as it is difficult for the victim to confess or report. For fear of scandal or social stigma, which gives perpetrators more room to continue.

He stressed that “emotional trust does not create a legal obligation,” and that any financial transfer must have a legitimate reason and a clear legal justification, and that the mere promise of marriage is not considered a sufficient reason to hand over money, as long as an official engagement or marriage contract has not been concluded in accordance with Sharia and legal provisions.

He pointed out that in some rulings, the courts ordered that the perpetrator be obliged to return the amounts he seized, and to punish him with imprisonment and a fine, emphasizing that “money that is taken with emotion is taken with punishment.”

He advised those exposed to such situations not to remain silent, but to take the initiative to file an official report with the police authorities, as UAE law guarantees complete confidentiality of reports related to blackmail and electronic fraud.

In a related context, a report by Kaspersky Lab, which specializes in cybersecurity, warned of deceptions that occur over the Internet, as it pointed out the tricks used in emotional or romantic fraud, when a person believes that he has made contact or found a match through an online site or application, but the person he is talking to is – in fact – a fraudster using a false profile, and the fraudster manipulates or gains the affection of the other person, to gain his trust over time, and is eventually able to either ask for money or obtain information. Enough personality about him to steal his identity.

He warned that this type of crime is on the rise, and the losses incurred as a result of online dating fraud in the United States exceeded $300 million in 2020, while in the United Kingdom, these types of losses amounted to 68 million pounds sterling.

He pointed out that older people are exposed to more severe financial losses than others, as fraudsters target people who are more advanced in age, because there is a greater possibility that they own valuable assets, such as retirement funds or homes, that fraudsters can steal. It is believed that about two-thirds of the victims of emotional fraud are women, and that their average age is 50 years.

Most romance scams begin quite innocently. The scammer may create fake profiles that appear extremely attractive to others, and then wait for the victim to contact him to initiate a conversation. Or he may initiate communication with the victim, and may claim that there are common interests or even a distant acquaintance between them. Once the scammer ensures that the victim has taken the bait, the possibilities become limitless.

He mentioned that there are different types of emotional fraud, including that victims are contacted by people who are supposed to want a relationship and live abroad, and “befriend” them on multiple social networking sites. After a period of intense romantic communication, the fraudster asks to communicate with the victim via a webcam, so they can chat together. Then the fraudster reveals his true identity, claims that he has recorded a video of the victim, and threatens to share it with mutual friends on social networking sites or publish it on the Internet, unless the victim sends it to him. A sum of money, and once the victim submits to it, the spiral begins, and the demands increase until the victim finally refuses this blackmail.