Two men who posed as representatives of a government entity and convinced a man that he had won a Dh200,000 cash prize have been sentenced to prison. Instead of receiving the prize, the victim discovered that Dh84,000 had been withdrawn from his bank account.

The Sharjah Misdemeanour Court sentenced both defendants in absentia to six months in prison and ordered their deportation from the UAE.

According to court documents, the case began when the victim received a phone call informing him that he had won Dh200,000. The callers claimed to represent a government entity to make the prize appear genuine.

They then told the victim that he needed to complete certain administrative procedures before the Dh200,000 could be transferred. As part of the fabricated process, the defendants asked him for his personal and banking information.

They also persuaded the victim to provide the one-time password, or OTP, linked to his bank account. Believing these steps were part of the legitimate process for claiming the prize, he handed over the requested information.

However, instead of receiving Dh200,000, he discovered that money had been withdrawn from his account. According to the case file, a total of Dh84,000 was taken from the victim’s bank account.

After the incident was reported to the authorities, the case was referred to the Sharjah Misdemeanour Court, which examined details of the phone calls and money transfers.

Prosecutors charged the defendants with using fraudulent methods to obtain the victim’s banking information and gain access to his funds. The court found both men guilty and sentenced each of them in absentia to six months in prison. It also ordered their deportation from the UAE.

The case highlights a common tactic used in financial scams, in which fraudsters generate excitement or a sense of urgency around a fake prize to persuade victims to disclose confidential information.

To make the scheme appear genuine, the defendants claimed to be affiliated with an official entity. The request for an OTP also played a key role in the fraud, as the code serves as an additional security layer for authorising banking transactions.

Ultimately, after disclosing his confidential information, the victim lost Dh84,000 instead of receiving the promised Dh200,000 prize.