Dubai Police warns against fake offers for renting chalets and estates online

The Dubai Police General Command, as part of its awareness campaign “Be Aware of Fraud,” warned community members against falling victim to electronic fraud related to fake chalet and estate rental offers promoted through social media platforms and various websites, stressing that fraudsters take advantage of summer vacations and families’ search for offers to reduce travel costs, and publish attractive and discounted advertisements compared to market prices, in order to obtain sums of money illegally.

This came after a family head filed a report with Dubai Police, stating that he had become a victim of a scammer, after he saw an advertisement on one of the social media platforms, which included an attractive offer for a chalet in an area in Dubai. When he contacted the person submitting the advertisement, he asked him to transfer a deposit and an insurance amount that would be returned later. After the victim transferred an amount of 8,000 dirhams, the scammer closed the contact number, and the victim could no longer reach him.

Dubai Police explained in a press statement yesterday that a number of similar reports were received using the same fraudulent method, where fraudsters use professional photos of chalets or estates, copy data from real advertisements, and then re-publish them at reduced prices, with the aim of luring victims and communicating with them directly. After the victim expresses his desire to rent the property, the fraudster asks the victim to transfer a sum of money as a deposit, reservation fee, or insurance before inspecting the property or signing any official contracts, but the victim later discovers, after making the financial transfer, that the advertised property does not exist in the first place, or that the advertisement belongs to a real property whose owner has no relationship to the fraudster, while it is then impossible to communicate with the perpetrator, who closes the means of communication or deletes the accounts used in the fraud.

Dubai Police confirmed that the excessively low rent value compared to the level and location of the property is one of the most prominent warning indicators that should be paid attention to, noting that fraudsters rely on the element of attraction and the victim’s urgency to make a quick decision without verifying the accuracy of the information or reviewing the competent authorities.

She called on members of the community not to transfer any sums of money before visiting the property and inspecting it on the ground, and to ensure its actual existence, or to confirm who is dealing with it if the property is being rented in another country, and to verify the identity of the lessor or the real estate company and its legal ownership of the property, in addition to ensuring the validity of the contracts and documents submitted, and not being satisfied with photos or electronic conversations.

Dubai Police stressed the necessity of verifying the identity of the property owner and the documents that prove it, completing all procedures through known official channels, and not responding to the pressure exerted by some fraudsters to force victims to transfer quickly under the pretext of high demand for the property or the near expiration of the offer.

Dubai Police stressed the need to avoid transferring money to personal or anonymous accounts, and to report fraud or suspicious sites through official channels, through the “e-Crime” platform or by calling (901) for non-emergency cases.