A Dubai court has directed two men to refund Dh14,000 to a woman who was duped into investing in an internet-based investment scam. The decision is based on the principle of law of unjust enrichment, acknowledging the woman’s financial loss and the men’s illegal gain.
The review of court documents states that the woman made the transfer after being lured by lucrative returns from an investment website, which was a scam. The defendants did not return any investment or reimburse the capital, leading to the woman initiating proceedings. The court upheld that there was enough evidence of fraud and ruled that the entire sum be refunded.
The case marks the increasing anxiety about online scams and investment frauds targeting naive people in the UAE. Residency authorities have been encouraging people to check online investment propositions and report suspicious transactions to escape financial losses.
Legal professionals have received the ruling as a good development towards bringing fraudsters to justice and protecting consumer rights. The ruling also acts as a warning to online criminals that anonymity on the net will not protect them from prosecution.
