The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) alerts the financial services community and the public to a fraudulent scam in which the DFSA and a member of the DFSA’s senior management have been impersonated.
Scammers have issued a fake certificate purporting to be from the “Office of the Administrator” of the DFSA. The fake certificate falsely claims that a wire transfer amount of USD 10,000,000.00 payable to a Company (the beneficiary) as Investment Funds from another Company (the investor) with an anti-money laundering and terrorist financing clearance number has been registered and endorsed by the DFSA.
The fake certificate also states that the abovementioned amount is fully authorised to be transferred to the beneficiary after concluding any transfer requirement of another UAE government authority.
The DFSA informs you that the certificate is fictitious and was not sent out by the DFSA. It has been used for a fraudulent and improper purpose.
A copy of the fake certificate can be viewed here.
In an attempt to authenticate the certificate, the scammers have also fraudulently used the following without authority:
• The logo, name, address and purported stamp of the DFSA; and
• The name, position held and purported signature of a member of the DFSA’s senior management.
The DFSA informs you that it does not:
• have an office or function referred to as the “Office of the Administrator”; or
• issue any certificates for the purpose of clearing funds, individuals, or entities from involvement in any terrorist or money laundering activities.
The DFSA strongly advises that you do not respond to the perpetrators of the scam, and under no circumstances should you send or give any money to any party connected to 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
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