Abu Dhabi court orders fraudster to repay AED16,000 stolen in fake number plate scam

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Family, Civil and Administrative Court has ordered a fraudster to repay AED16,000 obtained from a young man through a fake online advertisement for a distinctive vehicle number plate, and to pay a further AED3,000 in compensation for the material and moral damages suffered by the victim.

The case began when the young man filed a lawsuit seeking compensation for losses arising from a fraud scheme in which the defendant advertised a distinctive vehicle number plate for sale through information technology means.

Believing the offer to be genuine, the plaintiff transferred AED16,000 to the defendant. He later discovered that he had been the victim of fraud.

In his lawsuit, the plaintiff sought AED10,000 in compensation, legal interest of 9 per cent annually from the date the case was filed until payment, as well as fees, expenses and lawyer’s costs.

He cited the defendant’s prior criminal conviction in the case, under which the fraudster was sentenced in absentia to one year in prison and deportation from the country.

In its ruling, the court stated that anyone who unlawfully seizes another person’s property must return it in the condition it was in at the time of the seizure and at the place where it was taken.

The court noted that the criminal judgment had become final and binding, establishing the legal positions of both parties. It ruled that the plaintiff was entitled to recover the AED16,000, particularly as the defendant failed to attend hearings and did not provide any evidence that the amount had been repaid.

Regarding compensation, the court found that the defendant’s fault had been proven through the unlawful seizure of the plaintiff’s money and depriving him of its use. The court also took into account the loss of benefit from the funds during that period, the costs incurred in pursuing the case through the courts and the moral damages suffered by the plaintiff.

The court therefore ordered the defendant to pay the plaintiff AED16,000, along with AED3,000 in material and moral compensation, and to bear the fees and expenses of the lawsuit.