An elderly European woman fell victim to “romantic fraud,” losing nearly 12 million dirhams of her savings after being emotionally manipulated by a scammer. The fraudster, of African nationality, successfully lured her into his “romantic scam” by convincing her that he was a businessman residing in Dubai. Brigadier Saeed Al Hajri, Director of Cybercrime at the General Department of Criminal Investigation at Dubai Police, shared details of the case during a media interview on a private platform. He warned about the dangers of “romantic fraud” or “emotional entrapment,” highlighting the severe financial and psychological toll it takes on victims. How the scam worked During the discussion, Al Hajri recounted the story of the elderly European woman, who lost all her savings after being targeted by the scammer. Posing as a handsome young man living in Dubai, the fraudster convinced her to sell all her assets and transfer the proceeds to him. She even relocated to Dubai, only to discover she had fallen into an elaborate trap. Al Hajri explained that the scammer was not actually based in Dubai, but resided in an African country. The woman, struggling with loneliness in her home country, became an easy target. Once the case […]