Couple 'con man out of Dh725,000 in passport scam'



A married couple has been accused of defrauding a man out of Dh725,000 in a passport scam.

The couple allegedly promised the stateless victim that they could provide him with a passport in return for the money.

"The husband who is from a neighbouring GCC country befriended the victim and convinced him that he had strong ties with the government and the ruling family in his country and could help him get it's passport," prosecutor Khaled Hassan Al Mutawa said in a statement.
He said the victim fell for the man's lies and paid him the Dh725,000 in a series of cheques, which the wife cashed.

The man tried to contact the couple for a year and half but later discovered the husband had fled the country.

Dubai prosecutors said that they received the case file from police's criminal investigations department, after the victim lodged a complaint against the couple.

The wife, who remained in the country, and her at-large husband were charged with fraudulently obtaining Dh725,000.

A date for a first hearing at the Dubai Court of Misdemeanours is yet to be set.

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