Dubai GDRFA warns against fake UAE visa ads on social media after arrest of celebrity promoter

Dubai: The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA) warned against fake advertisements on social media platforms that promote work visas and residency permits in exchange for money, revealing that it continuously monitors offers issued by unauthorised entities that exploit job seekers by misleading them into believing that they can provide visas and job opportunities. During a press conference yesterday, the GDRFA reviewed one of the cases it recently dealt with, after it arrested, in cooperation with Dubai Police, a person known in the artistic community in his country, who exploited his fame and presence on social media platforms to promote fake freelance work visas, targeting people looking for a job opportunity and a better life, and was involved in issuing about 40 fake visas. The Director General of the GDRFA, Lieutenant General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, said that some of these practices begin in the victim’s country before he arrived in the country, where criminal groups exploit people’s need for work, and offer them promises of obtaining visas, residency and job opportunities in exchange for sums of money. According to the details of the case, the person who was arrested was well-known in the artistic community in his country, and he exploited his fame to promote fake visas through social media platforms, noting that the accused used YouTube and TikTok platforms to promote these practices for about two years. The administration stated that the person involved exploited his need for money, and his greed, along with his fame and ability to reach a large number of followers, to promote these visas, explaining that most of the people targeted by the network were not high-income earners, but were looking for a work visa and an opportunity to improve their living conditions. Al Marri pointed out that some victims leave their families and children in search of a job opportunity, before falling victim to these networks that exploit their need, stressing the importance of those wishing to come to the country obtaining correct information from official websites and channels and not being swayed by offers published through unofficial platforms or entities. He said that GDRFA does not work alone in confronting these practices, but rather within an integrated system that includes security and legal authorities and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE), through joint committees and working groups, in addition to specialised teams in electronic and field monitoring and tracking. He added that the administration has technical projects aimed at controlling violators, monitoring people’s situations, and verifying whether they reside legally or not, as well as monitoring people who promote such practices, stressing that the integration of the efforts of the concerned authorities contributes to confronting criminal networks and tightening the necessary procedures against those involved. Al Marri stressed that legal procedures begin after the arrest of those involved and their referral to the Public Prosecution for investigation, and then to the competent court, noting that the penalties include fines and deportation for those involved, in accordance with the applicable laws and procedures. He called on members of the community, and communities wishing to come to the country, not to take any steps related to visas or residency before ensuring the safety of the procedure and its source. He stressed that anyone who is subjected to fraud, even after arriving in the country, should report it to the competent authorities and not be afraid to report it. For his part, Major General Dr. Ali bin Ajeef Al Zaabi, Assistant Director General of the Violators and Foreigners Follow-up Sector at GDRFA, said that some criminal networks exploit people with a presence on social media to gain new followers, as a person can approach a platform owner who has a large number of followers and exploit their presence to promote fake offers, stressing that the monitoring and tracking teams begin their work as soon as they suspect such practices. He added that criminal networks may be outside the country, working to target victims in their home countries before they arrive in the UAE, through offers that deceive them into believing they can obtain residency or facilitate their procedures at attractive prices lower than the official prices. He pointed out that some of those involved deliberately target poor areas far from major cities, especially people with limited income or awareness, to lure them with job and residency offers, stressing that “Dubai Residency” has a security system, monitoring and tracking systems, and specialised teams to confront these crimes. Al Zaabi explained that the latest case began with the detection of a forged document in the possession of a person, so the work teams followed the threads of the case from the holder of the document to those involved in issuing and promo