A woman racked up a Dh75,000 bill after renting a luxury car while posing as another motorist in a WhatsApp scam, Dubai Criminal Court heard.
The 33-year-old Emirati tricked another woman into sharing images of her Emirates ID and driving licence on the messaging service after claiming she was selling her car.
She then used the duped prospective car buyer's details to hire a Mercedes GT S from a dealership in the emirate, stating money was no object.
“She called our office in February of last year and asked to rent a Mercedes GTS and didn’t mind the price,” said an employee from the dealership.
He said his company delivered the car to the woman's home in Al Quoz.
“She kept the car for a month and paid Dh45,000 from a total of Dh75,000,” he said.
When the fraudster failed to pay the remaining Dh30,000 of the monthly rental fee, the company recovered the car and lodged a complaint with police.
When the company handed over the documents used by the woman to secure the car, the unwitting victim received an unwelcome call.
“They told me I was wanted for unpaid car rental bills,” said the Emirati victim, 46.
“When I saw a different signature than mine and the woman’s mobile phone number on the contract, I remembered her.
“I told police that she was offering a car for sale and that I sent her my ID and driving licence to buy the car, but when I felt she was scamming me I backed off from the deal.”
The woman admitted charges of forgery, using official documentation belonging to another and fraudulently obtaining a car during a hearing on Tuesday.
A date for the sentencing hearing was not confirmed.
