Q: Over 2 years ago I was awarded degrees from a university in the USA based on my experience. As the process continued I suspected they were fake so I tried to stop the process. In the last 2 weeks I am receiving calls from people claiming to be from Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Education in Abu Dhabi saying I am in trouble and the call always ends up with the university demanding money to complete the attestation process. I do not want these degrees and have never used them. If I report this to the UAE Authorities, will I get myself in trouble? I am worried.

Q: Hi, I am in a dispute with someone who has stolen money on a pretence of offering a PRO service. The invoice and crime committed all originate in Dubai. I have told the assailant he needs to pay or I will raise a case against him and he moved to RAK recently where I found out where he lived and told him now I can make a court case. There are 20 other people I know he owes money to also. He reported me to RAK police for harassment and threats even though my only threats were to do a combined court case with 25 other people against him and I told him Dubai police or CID will come for him if I report him. I went to Dubai police station who told me that the whole issue is a Dubai issue and not to worry. What do I do? My number has changed from the one these crooks have so I don't know if RAK police called or not.

Q: I was persuaded by my friend to put money in an online trading, and he will trade on my behalf and will share the profits. He guaranteed me that he will trade very carefully and the principal amount will not decrease, but he lost all the money in one night which is AED 35000. Then he gave me 6 cheques of 5000 each payable after every third month. Kindly advise how to proceed as he is not ready to pay now.

Q: I need guidance regarding a civil case against my brother for issuing a cheque of AED 270000 having no sufficient amount in his account. The other person made some trade deal for selling precious stones to my brother and he took advance cheques from my brother and advance signatures on the invoice, LPO and delivery note. My brother trusted him but later he did not deliver anything to him and rather started blackmailing my brother to give the money otherwise he will make a civil case against him. My brother refused to pay any amount for the deal he never received, which resulted in making proper legal documents by the opposite party against my brother through a lawyer and made a civil case against my brother in Sharjah. Now, my brother is in Sharjah central jail since Jan 2017. Every month, he appears in the court and the judge asks him to pay money but he refuses every time & requests to call the opposite party to the court. However, neither he nor his lawyer appeared the last 10 months in court. I need guidance.

Q: Is it illegal to record a telephone conversation in the UAE? (The conversation was between me as a client, and a migration consultant)

Q: Hi, I lent money to a colleague. Now, it's been 5 years and he is still finding excuses not to pay me. Since then I left the UAE, and the only proof I have is Whatsapp messages. What can I do?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I would like to complain regarding my online broker. Because of my online broker, I lost all of my money which was around 112000$ within 3 weeks in an online platform. Please advise If I can legally get back all of my money which I have lost because of that broker. Best Regards,

Q: I am a victim of financial fraud where a company provided me with a risk-free product where I invested my life-time savings and then, taking advantage of the Covid pandemic, they changed the dynamics of the product and reduced the value of my complete investment to zero. One of the companies was registered in DIFC and DIFC asked me to look at the legal route and contact SEC. I approached SEC who then categorized the company as a violator but didn't provide any legal guidance. I need support to understand my recourse options and recover my hard-earned savings.

Q: My friend had borrowed AED 100k money from me, however, I don't have any proof as he didn't sign any documents and it was based on trust. I have a Whatsapp message where he said he will return the money but the amount of the borrowed money was not written by him. Will it be enough proof to go legal? Please suggest and also what are the next steps?

Q: Hi, My bank is threatening to file a civil case and travel ban against me in Dubai for not paying an amount close to 35 thousand dirhams. This amount was charged fraudulently on my card from my previous bank. I had filed a dispute form at that time, but before any investigation could take place, a bank bought the old bank. I filed a new dispute form with the new bank, but the case has remained unresolved for almost 2 years now. In addition, I have filed a police case (I have a letter from the police), with the Central Bank of UAE and AECB. I have also been in frequent contact with the bank via emails, phone calls, and branch visits. I would like to know if the bank has the right to file a case against me or impose a travel ban, given that they have already decreased my credit rating. I would appreciate your guidance and assistance.

This Law promulgates the Federal Penal Code (Criminal Law) of the United Arab Emirates. Crimes and chastisement punishments shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of this Law and other penal codes.

The provisions of this law, promulgating UAE Civil Code, govern the civil transactions in the United Arab Emirates. The commercial transactions remain subject to the laws and regulations applicable in their regard.

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).