Fraudsters are hunting vehicle owners from marketing websites and deceiving them at attractive prices

Victims lose their vehicles in fraudulent ways ... and insurance companies disclaim their responsibility

picture

Vehicle owners, who offered their cars for sale through electronic marketing sites, reported that they had fallen victim to professional fraudsters, deluding them into their desire to buy cars at attractive prices, and pushed them to give up their ownership and register them in the names of these criminals, in exchange for fake checks, and when they resorted to insurance companies that cover their vehicles For compensation, their requests were rejected, as insurance contracts are automatically canceled as soon as the ownership of the car is transferred from the insured to another person.

The head of the Auto Insurance Technical Committee at the Emirates Insurance Association, Essam Maslamani, stated that there is a responsibility that falls on the insurer, comparable to the obligations of insurance companies, which is not to fall into the trap of fraud, stressing that the contract becomes invalid once the ownership is transferred to a non-insured person, and therefore he is not entitled The victims of these crimes demand insurance cover for their cars that were seized in this way, pointing out that some of them have already visited the companies, to no avail.

Dubai Police recorded several reports of crimes committed by fraudulent methods, and Colonel Omar bin Hammad, Director of the Economic Crimes Department at the General Department of Investigations in Dubai Police, said that the index of these reports decreased, thanks to awareness-raising, and the seizure of gangs specializing in fraudulent car theft by means of fake checks, the last of which is A gang run by two people from outside, and executed by their defendants, including a woman who defrauds in this way.

On the other hand, a first legal advisor, Wajih Abdulaziz, guided the victims of these crimes to a legal way to spare them a loophole that the defendants could exploit in transferring reports from “fraud cases” to “issuing a check without balance,” which is to file a lawsuit to terminate the sale contract of the seized car. If the buyer does not pay the price of the vehicle.

In detail, the Director of the Economic Crime Control Department at Dubai Police, Colonel Omar bin Hammad, stated that the fraudulent method carried out by the perpetrators of these crimes depends on catching the victims through electronic marketing sites through which they offer their vehicles for sale. Executing purchases on Thursday evening, after the banks were closed, to oblige the car owner to accept checks, only to discover later that he had been defrauded, and that they were without balance, or written on closed accounts.

He revealed that fraudsters are developing their methods to deceive the victim, as they are keen to dazzle him by attending in luxury vehicles, giving the impression that they are wealthy, as well as the possibility of presenting a deposit to the victim in order to lure him to transfer ownership, especially to luxury car owners, such as a woman who was recently arrested, who carried out a number of similar fraudulent operations. Among them was the theft of a car worth 300 thousand dirhams, after she gave its owner an advance of 20 thousand dirhams, and tempted him to register it, so he accepted that, ruling out that this woman was a professional fraudster.

Bin Hammad confirmed that the seizure operations and the intense awareness of this criminal method contributed to the reduction of reports, warning members of society against being led by any temptations, not registering their cars in the names of foreign buyers before they were paid for, and dealing with caution and caution.

He pointed out that the administration is not satisfied with precisely deterrence and awareness, but is currently working on conducting a study to fill any loophole from which these fraudsters can implement, in cooperation with the competent authorities, but there remains a responsibility on the vehicle owners, which is to deal cautiously with anyone offering to buy the car in this way. Way.

For his part, one of the victims of this fraudulent method, who preferred not to be named, told Emirates Today that he had shown his car on a well-known online marketing site, and within hours a woman contacted him and expressed her desire to buy it, and they agreed on an appointment Thursday evening, because it is linked to work schedules According to her allegations, indicating that she did not dispute with him about the price when she came with another person, and she was very dressed, which made him unlikely to be a fraudster, then she told him that she would pay him in advance, and issued a check to him for the rest of the amount, then discovered later when he went to cash the check that it is Without balance.

He explained that he later learned that the car was sold to another person as soon as its ownership was transferred to that woman, indicating that he informed the police and consulted the insurance company that was covering his vehicle, but they replied that he lost the insurance cover for the car immediately after transferring its ownership to another person.

The owner of the car said that he was well aware of his mistake, as he did not have to trust a stranger and register the vehicle in the name of that woman, but in the end he is a victim, and the insurance company is supposed to take this into account, because what happened to him is a kind of theft, even if it was not in the traditional way.

Another victim, who is a client of an insurance company, said that she offered her 2019 Range Rover for sale, via a website, and received a call from a woman, who expressed her desire to buy the vehicle, and that her husband would help her with the inspection and completion of the purchase process.

She added that she had received another call, in which that woman confirmed her agreement to the value of the vehicle, which exceeded 200 thousand dirhams, pointing out that the husband arrived on the specified date to the agreed location, in his luxury vehicle, accompanied by two people who claimed to be his assistants.

She indicated that he had seen the car outwardly, looked at the engine, and then confirmed his desire to buy it for his wife again, but he apologized for not having the required amount in cash, drew a check, and attached a copy of the ID, so she agreed, and transferred the ownership of the vehicle to him, without her having any doubts about it. She may be a victim of a scam.

She reported that she went to the bank at a later time to cash the check, but was shocked that it was written on a closed bank account, so she tried to communicate with the fraudulent buyer or the woman who spoke to her but did not reply to her, so she proceeded to inform the police, and it turned out that the fake husband is one of the precedents, and I learned later That her vehicle was sold to more than one person, but it was exported abroad within less than 24 hours of its sale, and of course, she was unable to return to the insurance company for compensation, given that it transferred the ownership voluntarily to another person.

For his part, the head of the Auto Insurance Technical Committee at the Emirates Insurance Association, Essam Maslamani, said that seizing vehicles in this fraudulent manner is not part of the loss and damage document for the insured vehicle, which includes coverage for specific cases in which the insurance company is obligated to compensate the insured for the loss of the vehicle. Or damaged.

He added that the company is obligated to compensate if the loss or damage results from any accident, such as shock, deterioration, or as a result of emergency mechanical damage, fire, burglary and theft, or an intentional act issued by others, pointing out that any additional coverage is agreed upon under this document or In their own supplements.

He pointed out that in return there is an obligation on the part of the insured to impose reasonable and obvious precautions to preserve the vehicle, so that he does not fall victim to fraud, and gives a stranger a misplaced trust, explaining that the insurance contract includes rights and duties that both parties must abide by.

He explained that the contract becomes invalid as soon as the ownership of the vehicle is transferred to someone other than the original insured, so it is not normal for insurance companies to relinquish their responsibilities in the event that the owner (the insured) voluntarily relinquishes his car and registers it in the name of another person, who in turn is obligated to issue an insurance contract. Until you register the car for him

Maslamani mentioned that according to the loss and damage document, the insured must remain the sole owner of the insured vehicle for the duration of the insurance period, and he must not rent it to others, and not sign any contract that would restrict his absolute ownership and possession of the vehicle, without obtaining prior written approval. So from the company.

For his part, a first legal advisor, Wajih Amin Abdulaziz, stated that the unified document for insurance of vehicles against loss and damage, issued pursuant to the Board of Directors of the Insurance Authority Resolution No. 25 of 2016, specifies the liability of both the insurance company and the insured in such cases, pointing out that according to Paragraph (c) contained in Chapter Two of the Policy, insurance companies are obligated to compensate the insured for the loss or damage that occurs to the insured vehicle, if it results from burglary or theft, while Paragraph (D) is mentioned in a more general and comprehensive manner, as it covers all cases of loss or damage resulting from For any intentional act made by others.

Abdulaziz said that this text was general without assigning or limiting actions to themselves and not others, so it is being launched, indicating that what is meant by “others” is an external party other than the contracting parties in the insurance policy or the beneficiaries of it, so it is not permissible for insurance companies accordingly. Refrain from paying the compensation value for the lost car, regardless of the cause of its loss, as long as the insurance is comprehensive, and the insurance policy is without exceptional conditions or stipulated restrictions, or the insured has intentionally or badly intended not to take reasonable precautions in preserving and protecting the car from Loss and theft.

He explained that by applying this rule to cases of seizing vehicles in exchange for checks without balance, we find that it does not fall under the framework of loss that deserves compensation, given the sale of the car according to a contract, and the transfer of its ownership to another person with the free will of its owner, stressing that regardless of the method that With that sale, as soon as the ownership of the car is transferred, the insurance is canceled directly, and a new insurance is registered in the name of the buyer as a condition for the transfer of ownership.

Abdulaziz advised victims of car seizure crimes in exchange for fake checks not to file their civil lawsuits on the basis of collecting the value of the checks, as it might take them a long way.

He emphasized that it is better to file a lawsuit demanding the termination of the contract of sale of the seized car, based on non-payment of the price of the sale, pursuant to the provisions of Article (272/1) of the Federal Civil Transactions Law, which states that “in the contracts binding on both sides if no one dies The contracting parties with the obligation of the contract may, after notifying the debtor, the other contracting party to demand the implementation of the contract or its termination.

The termination of the sales contract for the failure of the buyer to fulfill his obligation to pay the price leads to the revocation of the contract retroactively between the two parties, and to consider it as if it was not from the time the contract was drawn up and not from the time of the decision to terminate it, in a manner that guarantees the car's recovery without entering into subsidiary legal disputes.

Return a stolen car

The Economic Crimes Department of the General Department of Investigations in Dubai Police was able to retrieve a stolen car from another victim, a European man who was defrauded, and sold his car with a fake check, as a work team was formed as soon as he was informed of the police, and it was discovered that the car was resold and hidden in an unknown location.

The administration was able to pursue the accused and follow their steps, until it was found that they had forged and transferred the car’s papers, so coordination was made with the Customs Intelligence Department at Dubai Customs, knowing its destination, and making sure that it was on board a ship bound for a European country, so an urgent plan was prepared, and it was returned on board the ship. Itself.

Fraud ambush

The head of the Auto Insurance Technical Committee at the Emirates Insurance Association, Essam Maslamani, revealed that there are many cases that have been received by insurance companies regarding fraud when buying and selling vehicles, in which the vehicle owner is lured into a planned ambush, and his car is lost as a result of his negligence to take action. Necessary to preserve his rights.

He emphasized that the role of the insurance company is to transfer the risk from the side of the insured to its side, but it cannot bear the responsibility for the insured's failure to adhere to the simplest degree of caution before voluntarily relinquishing his car and handing it over to a stranger with an unreliable check.

300

One thousand dirhams is the value of a car stolen by a woman under the ruse of the "fake checks".

The police have arrested those involved in the car theft crimes and warned against "fake checks".

- The police are not content with exacting and raising awareness ... but rather working to fill any loophole that the fraudsters could exploit.

Follow our latest local and sports news, and the latest political and economic developments via Google news