Indian nationals in the UAE have been warned about fraudsters posing online as embassy officials collecting money towards the cost of repatriation flights.
The Indian embassy in Abu Dhabi issued a message on Twitter telling its citizens not to respond to bogus messages posted by the fake account @embassy_help.
Nationals were asked to pay 15,000 Indian rupees ($188) for a seat on a "repatriation flight" that the scammers said was due to leave from the UAE to Delhi on Wednesday.
Another false offer was for a seat on a repatriation flight from Australia to India, at a cost of 40,000 rupees.
Some offers were aimed at family groups planning to return to live in India. The scammers offered to transport them and their belongings on a non-commercial flight — allowing them to bring more baggage than on a standard airline flight.
Other scams offered to repatriate the remains of Indians who had lived abroad.
Customers were told to pay ticket fees into an online bank account.
“It has been brought to the notice of the embassy that some people are cheating innocent Indian nationals by sending messages and collecting money to arrange their travel from the UAE to India through the Twitter handle '@embassy_help' and email ID 'ind_embassy.mea.gov@protonmail.com',” the Indian embassy said.
A similar fraud emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic, when Pakistani citizens in the UAE hoping to be repatriated were targeted by con artists selling fake airline tickets.
Scammers posing as “special travel agents” who claimed to be acting on behalf of the consulate in Dubai approached people asking for help online.
At the time, more than 63,000 requests had been submitted to Pakistan’s consulate for help returning home, due to the pandemic.
Anyone looking to contact the Indian embassy for assistance should only use official channels.
These are the Indian embassy's email IDs and social media accounts linked to its official website.
All email addresses linked to officials and missions end with the domain @mea.gov.in.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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Saturday, November 30, Brighton (h)
Wednesday, December 4, Everton (h)
Saturday, December 7, Bournemouth (a)
Tuesday, December 10, Salzburg (a) CL
Saturday, December 14, Watford (h)
Tuesday, December 17, Aston Villa (a) League Cup
Wednesday, December 18, Club World Cup in Qatar
Saturday, December 21, Club World Cup in Qatar
Thursday, December 26, Leicester (a)
Sunday, December 29, Wolves (h)
At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The lowdown
Bohemian Rhapsody
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 258hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.1L/100km
Price: from Dh362,500
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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7.
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Singapore
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Australia
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9.
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
