UAE court orders a man to pay DH66,750 over social media accounts
The Abu Dhabi Family, Civil, and Administrative Claims Court has rendered a verdict compelling a fraudster to reimburse a young man 61,750 dirhams, which he unlawfully appropriated by deceiving him with false claims regarding his ability to verify his social media accounts. Additionally, the court has mandated a compensation payment of 5,000 dirhams to the plaintiff.
According to the case's detailed facts, a young man filed a lawsuit against another person, requesting 10,000 dirhams in additional damages for emotional and material harm in addition to 61,750 dirhams in restitution and the duty to pay all costs and fees.
The plaintiff claimed that the defendant misrepresented his abilities to authenticate social media accounts in order to fraudulently gain the claimed amount through deception. The defendant avoided making restitution despite numerous demands, which led to a criminal conviction and a fine of 20,000 dirhams. Notably, the defendant did not show up for court, and his absence was appropriately recorded.
Delving into the rationale behind its ruling, the court cited provisions from the Civil Transactions Law, emphasising the prohibition against unjustly acquiring another's funds. It stressed that any unlawfully acquired funds must be returned, and individuals benefiting from such gains without rightful entitlement are obligated to make restitution, whether the gain exists in its original form or its equivalent value.
Upon review of the case documents, it became evident that the defendant had been convicted of fraudulently appropriating the plaintiff's funds, utilising deceitful tactics to falsely authenticate social media accounts, thereby inducing the plaintiff to surrender a sum totaling 61,750 dirhams.
The court asserted that the defendant's criminal conviction for the aforementioned offence formed the basis for the plaintiff's civil lawsuit. The legal determination made in the criminal case concerning the commission of the offence by the defendant substantiated the plaintiff's claim for reimbursement of 61,750 dirhams. As for the compensation sought for material and emotional damages amounting to 10,000 dirhams, the court deemed it justifiable, considering the harm inflicted upon the plaintiff due to the defendant's failure to return the unlawfully acquired sum.
Consequently, the court decreed a compensation payment of 5,000 dirhams, in addition to obligating the defendant to reimburse the plaintiff 61,750 dirhams, cover all damages, and settle incurred fees and expenses.
