Q: Dear Sir/Madam, A girl in the UAE trapped me in love and looted my money. She told me every day via WhatsApp that she loved me and would marry me, but suddenly blocked all my numbers. Now she threatens me that if I ask about my money, she will file a case against me. Now I am outside the UAE. I want to open a case online but don't know which article to mention. What should I do?

س: أعزائي، أشجع نفسي على إيجاد شخص قد يساعدني في حل مشكلتي. لقد أحببت سيدة في دولة الإمارات. في البداية، كان الأمر على ما يرام، لكنني أخطأت حيث أنني لم أدرك ما سيحدث لاحقًا. في الوقت الحالي، إذا لم أقم بتنفيذ طلباتها، فإنها تُهينني وتبتزني كل يوم.

س: سيدي العزيز / سيدتي العزيزة، لقد تعرضت للتنمر عبر الإنترنت والتخويف في الحياة الواقعية فقط بسبب مظهري. لقد استمر هذا لمدة 6 أشهر. هل يمكنني مقاضاة المتسبب في هذا؟

Q: Hello! I got scammed by my friend. She asked me to give her money, promising to return it, but when I asked for my money, she refused to give it back. There’s no contact between us except for WhatsApp messages, and I transferred the money to her via bank (I have the bank receipts). A few days later, I discovered that she scams many people like this, including her colleagues. She claims that she’s broke but uses this money in stock trading. Everyone is afraid to come forward because they don’t want to spend money on a case they believe they will never win. People around me told me that without a written agreement, I can’t go to court because I will definitely lose. They said, “You don’t have any solid evidence.” However, I have WhatsApp messages and know three people whom she scammed and took thousands from. What do you advise me to do? Should I go to court, or should I let it go because I’ll never win?

Q: Dear Lawyers, Last month, I fell into an online money-earning scam and invested my money. Initially, I earned some money, but two days later, someone transferred the amount I earned to my bank account. That person contacted the bank, and they called me, stating that the money was accidentally sent to me and asked me to return it, which I did. In short, I lost the money I invested, and when I tried to contact the scammers, they kicked me out of the group. After refunding the money, the person filed a fraud case against me, unaware that I was also a victim. What should I do now? How can I resolve this situation? I don’t care about getting my money back, but I want to avoid any legal case since I already returned the money and was scammed myself. What steps should I take?

Q: Dear Lawyers, On 6th October 2024, on the Telegram app, I was scammed for Rs 941,600. The scammers initially paid me small amounts of Rs 300 and Rs 100 for voting tasks and a welfare task in a group. They then demanded larger sums, stating that I could not skip these payments; otherwise, no withdrawals could be made. It all started two days earlier when I received a message on WhatsApp from someone claiming to be the HR manager of a company, offering an online part-time job. I was trapped and lost a huge amount of money. I am under a lot of stress due to this unbearable financial loss.

Q: Hello, I need legal advice regarding a personal financial fraud case. I was manipulated by someone I trusted, who promised to help me pay off my loans and debts. Based on these promises, I transferred a significant amount of money to him (including crypto transactions). Over time, he continued making false promises, but nothing was returned. I now have around 260,000 AED in loans and 62,000 AED in credit card expenses, which I wouldn’t have taken without his influence and pressure. I still have messages, voice notes, and transaction records as evidence. He is currently still in contact but keeps delaying and avoiding repayment. I want to: - Know if I can file a legal case for fraud and deception, - Understand if it can be treated as a criminal matter, - Find out if there’s a way to recover my money, and - Report this case officially and get legal support. Please advise on the next legal steps I should take and whether I have a strong case. Thank you!

The provisions of this Federal Decree-Law No. (31) of 2021 Promulgating the Crimes and Penalties Law, known as the "New UAE Penal Code", governs criminal actions in the United Arab Emirates. The New Penal Code repeals the previous UAE Penal Code (Federal Law No. (3) of 1987 Promulgating the Penal Code).

The provisions of this Federal Decree-Law, known as the "New Cybercrimes Law", govern Cybercrimes regulations in the United Arab Emirates. The New Cybercrimes Law repeals the previous UAE Cybercrimes Law (Federal Decree-Law No. (5) of 2012 on Combating Cybercrimes).

The law promulgates UAE Criminal Procedural Law (Penal Procedures Law) which governs criminal procedures in the UAE. This law applies to the procedures relating to offences whose punishments are not specified, dogma and punitive offences, and blood money, if they do not violate the Sharia rules.