An Air India Airbus A320. Indian embassy officials have warned that scammers are trying to dupe citizens into buying bogus tickets from the UAE to India. Reuters
An Air India Airbus A320. Indian embassy officials have warned that scammers are trying to dupe citizens into buying bogus tickets from the UAE to India. Reuters
An Air India Airbus A320. Indian embassy officials have warned that scammers are trying to dupe citizens into buying bogus tickets from the UAE to India. Reuters
An Air India Airbus A320. Indian embassy officials have warned that scammers are trying to dupe citizens into buying bogus tickets from the UAE to India. Reuters

Indian nationals in the UAE warned against online travel fraudsters


Nick Webster
  • English
  • Arabic

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.

House-hunting

Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove

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  2. Westminster, London 
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  7. Highlands, Scotland 
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  9. Fife, Scotland 
  10. Tower Hamlets, London 

 

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Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

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Date started: 2012

Founder: Amir Barsoum

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: HealthTech / MedTech

Size: 300 employees

Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)

Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC

Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites

The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.

It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.

“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.

The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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How the bonus system works

The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.

The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.

There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).

All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.

Updated: August 17, 2022, 10:55 AM`