Paying an intermediary for a job placement or residency permit remains one of the fastest routes to losing money to fraud, Dubai Police reminded the public this week, pointing to a spread of bogus visa offers that ask victims to hand over cash before any legitimate process has begun.
The alert came from the Anti-Fraud Centre within the General Department of Criminal Investigation, which said swindlers are circulating false advertisements and direct messages across social platforms and chat applications. Many of these postings borrow the identities of firms that hold no license, while others pose as recognized authorities, all in an effort to draw people in and take their payments.
Verification, according to the Centre, is where protection starts. Before acting on any visa-related offer, residents were urged to confirm its legitimacy strictly through official sources, and to treat awareness of who is actually providing a service as the primary safeguard against being defrauded.
The guidance forms part of the force’s continuing “Be Aware of Fraud” drive. Under that campaign, authorities have repeatedly stressed that visa paperwork should move only through the competent government bodies or offices that carry proper legal authorization, with unverified middlemen and untrustworthy parties kept out of the transaction entirely.
Anyone encountering a suspected scam, or a failed attempt at one, can flag it through the Dubai Police smart application, the eCrime portal set up for digital offenses, or the 901 line.
Community members were also warned plainly not to be swayed by guarantees of visas or employment secured outside lawful channels, which the Centre described as misleading promises designed to exploit people seeking work or residency.
