More victims found in Ajman fund scam

More victims have joined three women who have lost nearly Dh1.6 million in a scam fund in Ajman after the disappearance of a fake female trader, with fresh losses of more than Dhtwo million, a newspaper said on Thursday.

The Dubai-based Emirat Alyoum Arabic language daily quoted a group of Emirati men and women as saying they had trusted that trader and handed her their money after she told them she worked for Ajman traffic police and that she had a reputation of helping the poor.

The paper said it met the new victims at the house of an Emirati woman who was among three local female investors duped by that dealer.

“I was introduced to her by my friend who works at Ajman traffic police….she told me she had an online catalogue for imported items and that she needs a big capital to start a project…I was convinced and raised nearly Dh800,000 to enter the project,” said an Emirati woman, identified as Umm Hamdan.

“I was paying her installments of Dh20,000 for the presumed project and she was paying me back Dh4,000 as presumed profits…I then trusted her and continued to give her money….after a while, I did not hear from her and she was not replying to phone calls…I went to her house and she had gone…I then went straight to the police and filed a complaint.”

The paper quoted another victim, identified as Umm Mohammed, as saying she had heard about that women from other people and that many investors from Ajman and other emirates were coming to her to invest their money.

“I then gave her Dh170,000 and she later started to pay me Dh5,000 per month as profits from my investment…after a while, she disappeared.”

Another victim called Abu Hassan said he had paid that woman two installments of Dh50,000 and Dh50,000 but later he could not contact her after she changed her phone numbers. “When I went to her house, she had gone,” he said.

Emirat Alyoum quoted all the victims that they had reported her to Ajman police and presented receipts and mobile phone texts proving she had taken their money and promising she would give them profits on time.

In its report on Wednesday, the paper said three other women from Ajman lost nearly Dh1.6 million after depositing their money with that woman.

The women, two Emiratis and one Arab expatriate, said they had trusted that lady after she told them she made large profits from trading in imported clothes and perfume and that she wanted them to share her windfall.

The women said they started to give her funds in installments and that they were encouraged by the fact that she allegedly worked at Ajman traffic department.

The paper quoted the women as saying they began handing her more funds after she provided them with nearly Dh3,000 in monthly income.

“The women said they lost a total Dh1.6 million in such a fund scam after the woman disappeared,” the paper said.

“The women, speaking on a radio programme in Ajman, called on the ministry of interior to find that woman and retrieve their funds.”

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