Civil engineer in UAE loses Dh42,000 to social media income scam with fake withdrawals and frozen account ploy

Summary

A civil engineer in the UAE lost Dh42,000 to an online scam that began with a social media message offering extra income. The scam involved small, initial payouts that encouraged the victim to make larger deposits to complete "missions." When he tried to withdraw his earnings, he was told his account was frozen and asked to pay an additional Dh24,000 to regain access. The company’s listed address in Abu Dhabi turned out to be fake, and the only contact number provided—via WhatsApp—became unresponsive. The UAE Ministry of Interior issued a warning about such scams and urged the public to verify platforms through official channels and report suspicious activity.