Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Civil Family and Administrative Court has ordered a man to return Dh24,500 he unlawfully withdrew from another person’s bank account after posing as a bank employee and convincing the victim to share his card details and PIN under the pretext of updating his account information.
The court also awarded the victim Dh3,000 in compensation for the harm he suffered.
According to case filings, the victim told the court that the defendant had called him, introduced himself as a bank representative, and claimed that his banking information needed to be updated, Emarat Al Youm reported.
After repeated requests, the scammer obtained the victim’s card details and one-time password, enabling him to withdraw the full amount. The victim later filed a civil claim seeking repayment and additional compensation for material and emotional damages.
In its ruling, the court cited provisions of the Civil Transactions Law, noting that no one may take another person’s property without lawful cause and that any such amount must be returned.
The court found that the criminal judgment issued earlier had already confirmed the defendant’s guilt, supported by police investigations showing he was the direct beneficiary of the transferred funds. The defendant neither attended the hearings nor provided proof that he had returned the money.
Addressing the claim for compensation, the court stated that civil liability requires proof of fault, harm, and causation, all of which were established, as the defendant’s actions constituted an unlawful act that deprived the plaintiff of his funds.
While the victim did not submit evidence of additional financial losses, the court found sufficient grounds to award Dh3,000 for moral damages.
The court ordered the defendant to repay Dh24,500, pay 3 per cent interest from the date of the claim until full settlement, cover court fees and costs, and provide Dh3,000 in compensation.
