Sharjah man jailed for six months over $413,000 college admission scam

A court in Sharjah has sentenced a man to six months in prison for defrauding a father of AED 1.515 million ($413,000) by falsely promising to secure his son admission to a college, Khaleej Times reported.

The Sharjah Court of First Instance found the man guilty of using a false identity and claiming influential connections to obtain the money. The case was referred to the competent civil court, and the defendant was ordered to pay court fees.

How did the college admission scam unfold?

The case began when a father sought help enrolling his son in a college. An acquaintance referred him to the defendant, who claimed he could arrange the admission.

The defendant initially demanded AED 70,000 ($19,000), which he collected from the son at a shopping center in Sharjah.

How much money did the victim lose?

The defendant later met the father at a hotel and claimed he could secure the son's admission. He requested a further AED 445,000 ($121,000) for the first year's tuition and another AED 1 million ($272,000) for investment.

The following day, the son handed him AED 1.445 million ($393,000). Combined with the initial payment, the total reached AED 1.515 million.

The promised admission never materialized, and the defendant did not return the money.

What evidence did the court review?

A woman who had professional and personal ties to the defendant and worked with the father told the court she intervened after learning of the dispute. She said the defendant acknowledged receiving the money.

The father's legal representative said the defendant had sought to avoid leaving a paper trail by insisting on cash payments. He claimed his work prevented him from receiving money through his bank account and required payments to be handed over inside his private car.

The representative said investigators examined the parties' relationship, the defendant's identity and circumstances, and their meetings and communications. Payment records, witness accounts and phone messages were also gathered as evidence.

After reviewing the evidence, the court concluded that the defendant had used a false identity and fraudulent means to persuade the father to hand over the money.