The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) alerts the financial services community and the public about an advanced fee scam in which scammers use fraudulent emails and documents purporting to come from the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

The scammers fraudulently offer consumers access to the following services:
• Stock trading portfolio;
• Financing;
• E-marketing in Dubai;
• Debt insurance ;
• Networking with 2430 companies worldwide; and
• Credit cards.

In order to access the services, the scammers require consumers to:
• pay a fee to an agent based in Dubai, London or Mexico; and
• complete a registration form and attach identification documents.

The scammers:
• use fraudulent documents incorporating the DIFC logo, including but not limited to a “fund details and business preface document” and “funding portfolio registration form”; and
• use the following email address : [email protected]

A copy of the fraudulent documents can be found here

The DFSA informs you that:
• the DIFC Authority, the management body of the DIFC, does not provide consumers with access to the above services;
• the “fund details and business preface document” and “funding portfolio registration form” are false documents and have not been produced by the DIFC Authority;
• the email address “[email protected]" does not belong to the DIFC Authority and nor does it use any such email address; and
• scammers have fraudulently used the name of the DIFC, without authority and for a malicious purpose.

The DFSA strongly advises that individuals do not respond to any communication regarding the scam, and under no circumstances should they send any money to any party involved in the scam.

The DFSA has a page on its website dedicated to alerts which it has issued about scams. All alerts issued by the DFSA may be accessed by going to: ALERTS

The DFSA has also issued warnings and guidance about the common types of scams perpetrated on consumers. For more information on these scams, please go to: HOW TO AVOID BEING SCAMMED

The DFSA encourages consumers to refer to the list of regulated Firms and Authorised Individuals licensed by the DFSA that is available on the DFSA's PUBLIC REGISTER

If you have any concerns about the authenticity of any correspondence or documents that purport to be issued by the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), DFSA or a DFSA regulated Firm, you should direct your concerns to the DIFC on Tel:+971 4 362 2222 and to the DFSA via the DFSA Complaints function on: COMPLAINTS