Abu Dhabi: Between the lure of low prices and promises of quick recruitment, families can fall prey to fake advertisements that exploit their need for domestic workers. They may even incur financial losses that reach tens of thousands of Dirhams.
While victims revealed six main reasons behind their falling into the trap of fraud, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) renewed its warnings against dealing with unlicensed entities, and announced the closure of 430 accounts on social media platforms during the past 18 months, for promoting domestic worker recruitment services without a licence, amid legal warnings of the penalties resulting from these practices, and calls to verify the accredited offices before transferring money or sharing personal data.
Specifically, victims of fake advertisements for unlicensed domestic worker recruitment agencies, which promote their services through social media platforms, identified six main reasons for falling into their trap, including the lure of low prices and the desire to save, the urgent need for domestic help, the ease of access to advertisements, the difficulty of distinguishing between real and fake intermediaries, the belief that direct dealing is faster and more flexible, as well as quick trust and responsiveness to pressures aimed at completing payment.
The frugality trap
Victims who shared their experiences - Nader Shawqi, Mona Abdulrahman, and Majda Darwish - unanimously agreed that falling prey to fraudulent domestic worker advertisements begins with an offer that appears economical compared to the costs of recruitment through licensed agencies.
Some families are drawn in by promises of domestic help at a lower price or within a shorter timeframe, without considering the risk of losing the entire amount paid or incurring additional expenses later. These offers are particularly appealing to families where both parents work, or who have young children or elderly relatives requiring care, making domestic help a pressing need that some accounts exploit with promises of rapid assistance.
Victims Mohamed Mandour, Mariam Osama, and Iman Ahmed explained that they were defrauded through these advertisements and were forced to file lawsuits to try to recover their money, which had been misappropriated by the advertisers. The offers initially seemed convincing in terms of price and speed of processing.
They pointed out that the ease of accessing domestic worker advertisements on social media platforms contributed to their increased appeal, as families could now view photos and videos of the workers and communicate directly with advertisers via messages and chat applications, without visiting recruitment agencies. However, this ease may conceal anonymous accounts using professional-looking brand names, logos, and images, and some may even claim affiliation with licensed agencies, making it difficult to distinguish between licensed entities and fraudulent intermediaries.
They pointed out that some families prefer direct dealings in the hope of bypassing procedures they believe are lengthy, or to obtain lower prices and more flexible arrangements. Then the steps of enticement begin by sending pictures of the worker and her data, then requesting a deposit to reserve her or an amount to confirm the recruitment procedures. Under the pressure of urgent need and fear of losing the opportunity or the worker moving to another family, the money is transferred before verifying the license of the entity or the existence of an official contract, only to discover later that they have fallen victim to fraud, making it difficult to recover the amounts paid.
Deterrent penalties
For his part, lawyer Salem Obaid Al-Naqbi confirmed that fake advertisements promoting the provision of domestic workers in exchange for money are considered forms of fraud and deception punishable by law. He explained that the perpetrators of these crimes deliberately publish misleading offers to attract those looking for domestic workers, then demand that they transfer money, claiming that it is fees for booking the worker or completing recruitment procedures, before the victims realise that the offer is not true or that the advertiser disappears after receiving the money.
He explained that Article 40 of Federal Decree-Law No. (31) of 2021 on Combating Rumours and Cyber Crimes stipulates a penalty of imprisonment for a period of not less than one year, and a fine of not less than 250,000 dirhams and not more than one million dirhams, or one of these two penalties, for anyone who unlawfully appropriates for himself or another movable property, benefit, document, or signature on such document, by using any fraudulent method, or by taking a false name or impersonating someone else, through the information network, electronic information system, or one of the means of information technology, stressing that prior verification of the identity and licensing of the entity represents the first line of defence for protecting funds and rights, and avoiding falling victim to fraud operations.
Reliable licence
Al-Naqbi called on families wishing to bring in domestic workers not to rush or be swayed by attractive offers and remarkably low prices, stressing the importance of direct communication with the advertised office and verifying its data with the MOHRE before transferring any sums of money or providing personal information.
He pointed out that there are indicators that call for caution and lead to doubt about the credibility of the advertiser, most notably: demanding that clients pay sums in advance under different names, such as application fees or completing procedures, as well as using personal bank accounts, the presence of linguistic or formatting errors in advertisements, or dealing in the name of an entity that is not registered or whose existence cannot be verified.
Impersonating accounts
Licensed recruitment agencies have warned of the spread of fake accounts on social media platforms that impersonate their names and business identities and promote domestic worker recruitment services without any connection to them, stressing that they are not responsible for any transactions or communications that take place through those accounts, calling on clients to avoid unreliable accounts and rely exclusively on their official channels to obtain correct information and approved services.
Walid Jamal, an administrative official at one of the licensed domestic worker recruitment offices, confirmed that the methods of fraud in this field are characterised by a high degree of professionalism, as fraudsters use trade names, logos and data that appear official, which makes customers believe that they are communicating with licensed offices, before they discover that they have been defrauded and lost their money. He pointed out that some of these accounts are managed from outside the country, which increases the difficulty of pursuing those in charge of them and recovering the money.
Jamal said: “Scammers are exploiting the increasing demand for domestic workers, hiding behind fake companies to offer seemingly legitimate services. This necessitates families being vigilant and not being swayed by digital advertisements, and stricter deterrent measures against violators to limit the spread of these practices.” He warned that some advertisements promise to provide domestic workers under the sponsorship of the office, before the client is surprised to find that the worker is a violator or a runaway from a previous family, which may expose him to legal accountability, in addition to financial losses and problems resulting from dealing with unreliable entities.
Losses in the thousands
There have been dozens of cases in the past, of people who fell victim to fake advertisements on social media platforms promoting the ability to provide domestic workers officially for reduced fees. These cases include women who were scammed through fraudulent ads on social media platforms, used to lure those seeking domestic workers and steal their money under the pretext of reserving the worker or covering delivery fees and completing recruitment procedures. In one case, a woman paid a deposit to a fictitious office she contacted through social media, only to be asked for delivery fees and additional payments, bringing her total to Dh10,000, before she later discovered she had been scammed. In another case, a woman transferred Dh23,399 after seeing an advertisement on Instagram promoting an office that provided trained domestic workers, before realising she had been defrauded.
In a third incident, a woman lost Dh18,000 after responding to a fraudulent social media advertisement for a domestic worker. The advertiser failed to provide the worker after the money was transferred, absconded with the funds, and then switched off his phone, refusing to contact her or return the money.
Another woman was also scammed while searching for a domestic worker. A young woman, through a social media advertisement, claimed to be able to provide domestic workers at discounted rates and swindled her out of Dh10,000. These incidents highlight recurring tactics used by fraudsters to exploit families' need for domestic help. They offer seemingly attractive deals that ultimately lead to financial losses once the money is transferred, without the promised service being provided.
Pursuing fraudsters
In contrast, MOHRE reported that, in cooperation and coordination with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and Digital Dubai, it closed approximately 430 social media accounts during the 18 months from the beginning of 2025 until June 2026 (including 200 accounts during the first half of this year), after monitoring their promotion of recruitment and employment services for domestic workers without obtaining the necessary licenses and without being affiliated with any of the recruitment offices licensed by the Ministry.
In a recent press release, the Ministry reiterated its warnings against being lured by enticing advertisements for domestic workers, stressing that remarkably low prices and demands for urgent money transfers may be indicators of fraud attempts aimed at seizing funds or obtaining personal data.
The Ministry stressed, through an awareness video published on its official platforms, the importance of verifying the accreditation of recruitment offices before dealing with them or transferring any sums of money, considering this a fundamental step to protect rights and avoid financial, legal and security risks resulting from dealing with unlicensed entities. It also called on the public to report any misleading practices or advertisements promoting domestic worker services in an unlicensed manner, by contacting the number 600590000, or by viewing the list of licensed recruitment offices through the Ministry’s website.
Misleading offers
The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department warned against being misled by fake recruitment agencies offering domestic workers through social media platforms. It explained that the fraudulent methods include advertisements promoting the possibility of recruiting domestic workers in a short period and for low sums of money, accompanied by pictures or videos of the workers to lend credibility to the offers. They exploit the lack of awareness among some people regarding the mechanisms for verifying the licenses of recruitment agencies advertised through digital platforms. The fraudsters also take advantage of seasons of increased demand and need for domestic workers, offering deals at prices lower than the recruitment costs at licensed agencies.
She noted that the repercussions of these operations include the loss of money and the difficulty of reaching the perpetrators, as well as the possibility of bringing in workers who violate residency laws, calling for prevention of these practices by dealing with licensed domestic worker recruitment offices, verifying the validity of licenses and data before completing any agreement or transferring sums of money, and not being swayed by attractive prices and promises of quick completion of procedures.