A Dubai hotelier, Rachel (name changed), fell victim to a scam that promised substantial earnings for rating restaurants on Google Maps, only to lose her life savings of almost Dh66,000. The fraud, which has reportedly extracted around Dh400 million from victims globally, is spreading through WhatsApp, according to AI cybersecurity firm CloudSEK.
Rachel, an Indian expat, received a message offering payment between Dh10 to Dh400 for simple tasks, with potential earnings up to Dh2,000 per day. Intrigued, she signed up and initially earned Dh175 for completing digital tasks, receiving the payment through a crypto wallet without any upfront cost.
“I completed the first set of simple digital tasks within minutes, and voila Dh175 was credited to my bank account through a crypto wallet, without paying anything upfront. It looked too good to be true,” Rachel said in a Khaleej Times report.
As the tasks progressed, Rachel was asked to top up the wallet with amounts ranging from Dh300 to Dh749, and she complied, believing she would earn higher commissions. Eventually, she paid Dh46,000, expecting Dh99,000 in return.
“I thought I could complete the tasks and withdraw my money,” she explained. However, when she attempted to withdraw her funds, she was asked to pay Dh20,000 in taxes. After paying the tax, she was confronted with 60 new tasks, making it impossible to withdraw any money.
“I am devastated,” Rachel admitted. “This is totally my fault, but even if I can’t get back my funds, I want to stop others from falling for this racket.”
Rachel’s husband, unaware of the fraud, expressed his shock. “I was without a job, and she thought this money would help us get through the crisis,” he said.
Ras Al Khaimah police recently took to Instagram to warn residents about such scams, highlighting the widespread nature of this fraudulent scheme.