Authorities in Dubai have detained a well-known singer accused of running a visa fraud operation that duped roughly 40 people into paying for bogus UAE residency, according to a senior official at the emirate’s immigration authority.
The buyers handed over sums ranging from AED 7,000 to AED 9,000 apiece, believing they were securing lawful residency, said Major General Dr. Ali Bin Ajif Al Zaabi, Assistant Director General of the Violators and Foreigners Follow-up Sector at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) in Dubai. Investigators determined that neither the documents nor the payments granted the purchasers any valid immigration standing.
Al Zaabi said the suspect deliberately preyed on people searching for work, dangling the prospect of legitimate paperwork to draw them in. Fraud of this kind, he noted, tends to focus on job seekers along with those trying to bring their residency into compliance.
The official urged residents to steer clear of unofficial middlemen and promotional offers hawking visas or permits outside sanctioned processes. He advised the public to transact solely through licensed, government-approved bodies and to refuse any payment tied to unverified guarantees.
According to Al Zaabi, the GDRFA maintains close surveillance of the individuals and organized groups behind counterfeit permit and visa operations, and it continues to move against those who defraud people pursuing legal status in the country.
