The 23-year-old, who was in the country on a visit visa, made the false claim through videos on TikTok
File photo
A European visitor has been convicted and jailed for falsely claiming that he could obtain South Korean visas at discounted rates, and defrauding two people of around Dh32,000.
The case files reveal that the accused posted advertisements on TikTok claiming that he could get work visas for South Korea. The TikTok videos showed a number of people at the airport, happily travelling with visas. The accused backed his claim by saying that he worked in the travel and tourism industry.
The first victim told the police that he found out about the accused's services through social media and met him at a hotel with his friend (the second victim). They handed over their passports and a total of about Dh32,000, believing that the 23-year-old accused would either get them their visas or refund the money if he was unable to do so.
The accused failed to deliver the visas on the agreed-upon date and kept delaying. He then finally admitted that he could not get the visas. When the victims asked for a refund, he evaded their attempts at communication, prompting them to file a complaint.
In the police investigations, the accused admitted to posting videos on TikTok making false claims about his ability to get South Korean visas, targeting people of a particular nationality. However, he denied receiving money from the complainants. He was also on a visit visa.
The Public Prosecution presented evidence of the videos in court, establishing that the accused made the claim to get work visas at discounted rates, and also that he promised to refund money if he was unable to obtain the permits.
The court sentenced him to two months in prison followed by deportation. He was also fined Dh32,000.
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