Job scams in the UAE: five common patterns

Moathaq shows jobs only from employers whose trade licence has been matched against a register. Job posts are reviewed before they go live, expire after 30 days, and every report from a candidate is read by a person.

The five patterns below are widely described in public warnings about job fraud. A candidate who recognises the shape of a scam in the first message is much harder to trick. Scammers rely on urgency and on the hope that the next step will fix the doubt. Naming the pattern takes both away.

Each pattern below has the same structure: how it works, the sign that gives it away and what to do.

How it works. A candidate receives a job offer, often a good one, from a firm that says it is a recruitment agency. Before the visa is processed, the candidate is asked to pay for the work permit, the medical, the "security clearance" or a "placement fee", often hundreds or thousands of dirhams, to a personal account or a mobile wallet.

The sign. Money moves before a contract is registered. Under UAE labour rules, the employer pays recruitment and visa costs, and a candidate does not.

What to do. Do not pay. Ask for the company's licence number and the MOHRE agency licence, and check them. Our guide to verifying a job offer with MOHRE lists the checks.

How it works. The scammer takes the name, logo and website text of a real, well-known company and sends offers from a lookalike address, such as a name followed by "-hr" or "careers" on a Gmail account. The offer letter looks right, the signatory is a real director's name, and the job is attractive.

The sign. The email address is not on the company's own domain. The interview is by chat, the "HR manager" cannot be reached on the company's switchboard, and the process skips a video call with a team.

What to do. Find the company's official careers page yourself, and check if the job is listed. Call the main number from the official site and ask to confirm the contact. Report the email to the company, which usually warns candidates.

How it works. A recruiter contacts you on WhatsApp or Telegram with a job from a firm you cannot place. The interview is a text chat. The job is offered within a day, and the next step is an urgent request for documents: passport scan, photo, Emirates ID, bank details "for salary setup".

The sign. There is no company name you can verify, no video call, and the speed is unusual. Documents that would be needed for a visa are collected before any offer is registered.

What to do. Share only what you would share with a verified employer: a CV first, and a passport copy only after a registered offer. One-time passwords, bank card numbers and UAE Pass logins have no place in hiring, so never share them.

How it works. The candidate is told to come to the UAE on a visit or tourist visa for an interview, with a promise that the employer will convert it to a work visa. Sometimes the candidate pays the agent for the visit visa. Once they arrive, the job is delayed, the employer is unavailable, and the visa runs out.

The sign. A job at a "company" that expects you to fly in, at your own cost, before a contract exists. A genuine employer outside the UAE interviews you by video.

What to do. Do not travel for an unregistered job. A visit visa does not allow you to work, and an overstay brings daily fines. If you want to search in person, apply for the job exploration entry visa and plan the stay yourself, with savings for the period.

How it works. There are two versions. In the task version, a message offers easy online work, such as liking videos, rating products or boosting orders, for a daily payment. The first small payments arrive. Then the "platform" asks the candidate to deposit money to open bigger tasks, and the money does not come back.

In the overpayment version, a "new employer" sends a cheque or transfer for equipment, a visa or a relocation advance, then asks the candidate to forward part to a supplier. The original payment later fails, and the candidate has lost the money they sent.

The sign. A job that pays you before work, or a job that asks you to send money you have just received.

What to do. Stop at the first deposit request. Do not move money for an employer. Report it to the police (Dubai Police in Dubai) and to your bank.

Run these four checks on any offer. They make most scams much easier to spot, but no check is perfect, so stop if anything feels wrong.

1. Licence. The employer has an active trade licence in a register you searched yourself.
2. Domain. The email comes from the company's own domain, and the careers page lists the job.
3. Money. Nobody asks you for any payment, deposit or transfer.
4. Order. The offer and the contract are registered with MOHRE before a visa, a ticket or a resignation.

A fifth habit helps: slow down. Every pattern above needs you to act before you check. Take a day, tell a friend and write down the licence number.

Act the same day. Call your bank and ask whether the transfer can be recalled or blocked. Collect the messages, receipts, phone numbers and account details.

Report the scam to the police. In Dubai, use the eCrime platform or the Dubai Police app, and call 901 if you need guidance; in the other emirates, contact the police of that emirate. If a job post led you to it, tell the platform where you saw it. If you are in the UAE and your employer has not paid wages, or you were hired on a visit visa, call MOHRE on 600590000.

If the post was on Moathaq, use the report form with the company name and the link. If the report is confirmed, we remove the post, suspend the employer and review its other posts. Thank you for telling us.