Scams, Fraud & Money Recovery
After a scam in the UAE: report via eCrime.ae or the MoI app, demand a refund under the CBUAE Consumer Protection Standards 2021, escalate to Sanadak (UAE banking ombudsman) if the bank refuses.
Covered in this guide:
UAE residents have two well-defined recovery channels after a scam. eCrime.ae is the Dubai Police federal cybercrime portal — used to report online fraud, phishing, impersonation, and account-takeover crimes occurring in Dubai. The UAE Ministry of Interior eCrime platform (and the MoI UAE app) handles multi-emirate and non-Dubai cases. Both feed the prosecution framework set out in Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combating Rumours and Cybercrimes (effective 2 January 2022), which repealed FDL 5/2012 and carries fines from AED 20,000 to AED 3,000,000 for cybercrime offences. For the money itself, the Central Bank of the UAE Consumer Protection Standards 2021 require licensed financial institutions to reimburse unauthorised payments within 30 calendar days of the report — unless the consumer acted fraudulently or with gross negligence. Disputed cases escalate to Sanadak, the independent ombudsman for banking and insurance complaints launched by the CBUAE.
For life-threatening emergencies, dial 999. For non-emergency Dubai Police, dial 901. The pages below cover the first 24 hours, choosing the right reporting channel, and the unauthorised-transaction refund route.
Key Laws
Federal Decree-Law 34/2021 on Combating Rumours and Cybercrimes
FDL 34/2021 (in force 2 January 2022; repeals FDL 5/2012)
UAE cybercrime framework; fines AED 20,000–3,000,000; imprisonment for serious offences.
CBUAE Consumer Protection Standards 2021
CBUAE Rulebook — Consumer Protection Standards (Article 8 Complaint Management)
30 calendar days to reimburse unauthorised transactions; 30 business days minimum for the consumer to report; exception only for proven consumer fraud or gross negligence.
CBUAE Consumer Protection Regulation 2020
Decretal Federal Law No. 14 of 2018 + Circular 8/2020
Statutory basis for CBUAE consumer protection oversight of licensed financial institutions.
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