EDITORIAL :
Maojuan is the marketing manager of a Chinese restaurant in Dubai. Last week, she received a message from a stranger on WhatsApp claiming to be "Professor Chen" from a university in the UAE.
He stated that his professor wanted to treat guests to dinner and needed to book a table for 21 people the next day, with a budget of 400 dirhams per person. He then asked if Maojuan's restaurant could accommodate them. Maojuan quickly calculated the potential revenue and eagerly agreed to the request, providing detailed information about the restaurant's ambiance, menu offerings, and more.
After receiving all the necessary information, "Professor Chen" informed Maojuan that his professor had approved the booking and thanked her for her efforts. The next morning, around 9 a.m., Professor Chen suddenly asked Maojuan if his professor only drank a specific type of wine and requested her to prepare three cases, totaling 18 bottles. Maojuan, unaware of any potential scam, frantically searched for the wine but couldn't find it.
Professor Chen then provided Maojuan with a WhatsApp number, claiming it belonged to the winery that stocked the desired wine. Maojuan was asked to place an order directly with the winery, which claimed to have the wine in stock. However, they demanded a deposit of at least 5000 dirhams to secure the order, along with the buyer's ID information for registration purposes.
To prove their authenticity, the winery even sent photos of the wine to Maojuan.
Realizing she couldn't front the money herself, Maojuan informed Professor Chen of the situation. Professor Chen promptly provided his ID and transferred the required funds. However, the timing of their communication was strategic, occurring during the restaurant's busy hours in the late afternoon.
It was evident that Professor Chen's money would never arrive, and the situation escalated. Professor Chen continuously urged Maojuan about the wine order, while the winery's representatives pressured her to make the payment. Maojuan, fearing the loss of the order, used her own bank card to transfer 1000 AED to the so-called winery. However, they demanded another 1000 AED before processing the order, claiming it was insufficient.
This raised suspicions for Maojuan, who asked Professor Chen for the money. He responded that it would be transferred by 5 p.m. after consulting the finance department and attending a meeting. Meanwhile, the winery continued to press for payment, but Maojuan stopped responding.
Subsequently, Maojuan was blocked, and she lost contact with both parties. read Also : Common online scams and how to avoid them
Comments