Dubai Police have issued a fresh warning after a woman in the emirate lost Dh10,000 to a fake domestic worker recruitment office promoted on social media, highlighting how quickly online scams can escalate once initial contact is made. Authorities said such fraud cases often begin with attractive offers and professional-looking advertisements, only to end with the sudden disappearance of the perpetrators.The incident was reported as part of Dubai Police’s ongoing #BewareOfFraud campaign, which aims to raise public awareness about evolving online scam tactics. According to police, the woman was searching for a domestic worker to help with household duties when she came across an advertisement on social media offering appealing terms. After contacting the number listed, she was assured that a suitable worker was immediately available and matched her requirements.Captain Abdullah Khalfan Al Mansouri from the Criminal Prevention Department at the General Department of Criminal Investigation explained that the individual asked the woman to pay a small deposit to begin the procedures and arrange delivery. Acting in good faith, she transferred the amount. Minutes later, she received another message requesting a delivery fee to confirm the order, which she also paid. A third message followed, stating that the worker was ready for delivery and that only the final payment remained. Keen to complete the process quickly, the woman transferred the remaining amount, bringing the total to Dh10,000.Shortly afterwards, all communication stopped, and the advertiser disappeared completely. Captain Al Mansouri said this method is one of the most common forms of online fraud, where scammers divide payments into stages to build trust before taking the full amount and vanishing.Dubai Police stressed that anyone seeking domestic help should deal only with licensed and accredited recruitment offices operating in the UAE. The Anti-Fraud Centre has repeatedly warned that scammers are posing as recruitment agencies to illegally collect money from victims. Authorities urged the public to verify service providers before sharing personal data or making payments and to report any suspected fraud through the Dubai Police Smart App, the eCrime platform, the Police Eye service, or by calling 901 for non-emergency cases.
About the Author
