Fake domestic help recruiters caught charging up to AED 13,000: Dubai Police

Dubai Police are urging the public to watch out for online scammers posing as recruitment agents for domestic workers.

The reminder comes after Al Rashidiya Police Station received 14 reports about fraudsters targeting people looking for domestic helpers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The scammers, who took advantage of the restrictions during the pandemic, would charge AED 9,000 - AED 13,000 in recruitment and administrative fees.

The suspects were later arrested by a special task force, which was set up to investigate the cases.

"The fraudsters scammed their victims a total of AED 87,520 since the pandemic began until February of this year. They claimed that they could bring domestic helpers into the country despite the temporary shutdown of world’s airports due to COVID-19 pandemic,” explained Brigadier Saeed Hamad bin Sulaiman Al Malik, Director of Al Rashidiya Police Station.

He also pointed out that these fraudsters usually forge contracts under the name of a labour recruitment agency to gain the trust of families before duping them.

Brig. Al Malik emphasised the importance of hiring workers only through registered entities and official channels.