Dubai Police’s Anti-Fraud Centre has sounded the alarm over a spike in schemes offering ‘guaranteed’ UAE work visas outside official channels. Scammers, often operating via social media and messaging apps, are luring job hunters with fake employment contracts and requests for upfront ‘processing fees’.
In an advisory issued on 4 January as part of the #BewareOfFraud campaign, officers stressed that the only legitimate route to a work permit is through licensed recruiters or a direct corporate sponsor using Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) platforms. Victims who pay bogus agents risk losing thousands of dirhams and may face deportation for unknowingly entering the country on forged documents.
![Dubai Police warn job-seekers about surge in fake work-visa scams]()
To sidestep these pitfalls, applicants can use trusted facilitators such as VisaHQ, which interfaces directly with UAE immigration channels, outlines the required paperwork, and offers secure online payment and real-time tracking. Full details for United Arab Emirates visas are available at https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/.
The warning comes at a sensitive moment: January traditionally brings a wave of overseas applicants hoping to ride the UAE’s post-holiday hiring cycle. Police noted a 27 per-cent increase in reported visa-fraud cases in Q4 2025, with losses ranging from AED1,500 to AED25,000 per victim.
Global mobility teams are advised to remind candidates that UAE entry permits are never printed on blank letterhead and that official payment links carry the ICP or MoHRE domain. Companies that outsource recruitment should tighten due-diligence checks on third-party agencies and add a fraud clause to offer letters.
In an advisory issued on 4 January as part of the #BewareOfFraud campaign, officers stressed that the only legitimate route to a work permit is through licensed recruiters or a direct corporate sponsor using Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) platforms. Victims who pay bogus agents risk losing thousands of dirhams and may face deportation for unknowingly entering the country on forged documents.
To sidestep these pitfalls, applicants can use trusted facilitators such as VisaHQ, which interfaces directly with UAE immigration channels, outlines the required paperwork, and offers secure online payment and real-time tracking. Full details for United Arab Emirates visas are available at https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/.
The warning comes at a sensitive moment: January traditionally brings a wave of overseas applicants hoping to ride the UAE’s post-holiday hiring cycle. Police noted a 27 per-cent increase in reported visa-fraud cases in Q4 2025, with losses ranging from AED1,500 to AED25,000 per victim.
Global mobility teams are advised to remind candidates that UAE entry permits are never printed on blank letterhead and that official payment links carry the ICP or MoHRE domain. Companies that outsource recruitment should tighten due-diligence checks on third-party agencies and add a fraud clause to offer letters.
