Recruitment gang cons jobseekers in Dubai, lands in police custody

Dubai: Dubai Police have arrested a gang who conned 150 jobseekers with promises to find jobs during the pandemic, an official said on Monday.

The gang established a fake recruiting company in Dubai to scam job-seekers for fees ranging between Dh1,000 and Dh3,000.

Brigadier Jamal Salem Al Jallaf, Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, said they took advantage of the COVID-19 situation as many people were looking for jobs.

“They were conning victims of job opportunities with good salaries in Dubai. They asked the victims to pay a fee for recruiting and in this way, scammed 150 people and illegally obtained a large sum of money,” said Brig Al Jallaf.

The gang operated online an used social media platforms as well.

Colonel Salah Bu Osaiba, director of the Department of Anti-Economic Crimes at Dubai Police, said the gang was arrested after a tip-off they received about an Asian man running a recruitment company in Dubai.

“He used to post job opportunities online. No qualifications were required for these posts. He was charging the jobseekers between Dh1,000 to Dh3,000 to finish the process,” Col Bu Osaiba said in a statement.

How the scam was discovered

A jobseeker alerted Dubai Police about the fake company after he was asked for Dh3,000 to apply for a job, change his status and issue a residency visa.

Captain Ahmad Al Samahi, director of Fraud Section at Dubai Police, said the company was identified and raided after an arrest warrant from public prosecution.

“Policemen in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emirtisation raided the company and arrested the suspects with a list of 150 victims,” Capt Al Samahi said.

He said the suspects aimed to scam as many victims as they could before leaving the country but they were arrested and referred to the concerned authority for further investigation.

However, Dubai Police didn’t specify how many suspects were arrested in the operation.

Brig Al Jallaf, warned the public people against falling prey to such scamsters.

“Many scammers post ads for job opportunities on social media platforms with a promise of high salaries. Trusted recruiting companies won’t ask you to pay money or provide personal details. People should check the credentials of the recrutiment company before applying,” Brig Al Jallaf added.