By Staff Reporter
A Sharjah court has sentenced a man to six months in prison for defrauding an Arab buyer of Dh692,000 in a fake wholesale iPhone deal involving 160 iPhone 17 Pro Max devices.
The ruling was issued by the Fifth Misdemeanour Circuit at the Sharjah Court of First Instance on July 16, 2026. The court found the defendant guilty of fraud under the UAE Crimes and Punishments Law and ordered him to pay court fees. The victim’s compensation claim was referred to a civil court for further consideration.
Fake Trading Business
According to prosecutors, the accused falsely claimed that he owned a mobile phone trading company and could supply 160 iPhone 17 Pro Max units for a total value of Dh692,000.
Investigations later revealed that he did not possess a licensed trading business and had no stock of the smartphones he promised to deliver. Authorities said he deliberately presented himself as a legitimate electronics supplier in order to persuade the buyer to hand over the money.
Cash Handed Over
Court records showed that the transaction took place on February 20, 2024, near Emirates Post on Jamal Abdul Nasser Street in Sharjah.
The buyer arrived carrying Dh692,000 in cash inside a laptop bag, believing he was completing a genuine commercial purchase. After receiving the money, the defendant told the buyer he would collect the phones from a nearby location and return shortly.
Prosecutors said he instead left the area on foot and never delivered the devices.
WhatsApp Message Used to Delay Discovery
Investigators found that the accused later contacted the buyer via WhatsApp, sending the location of a building in Al Nahda and asking him to wait there for delivery of the phones.
Prosecutors argued that the message was another attempt to mislead the buyer, delay the discovery of the fraud and allow the accused additional time to escape with the money.
Court Rejects Defence Argument
A witness who accompanied the buyer confirmed seeing the cash handover and supported the victim’s account.
During the trial, the defendant denied the allegations and argued that the matter was merely a commercial dispute. However, the court ruled that the case was not a failed business transaction but a deliberate act of fraud, noting that the money had been obtained through false claims and deceptive conduct.
Victim Seeks Compensation
Lawyer Mohammed Al Awami Al Mansoori, representing the victim, told the court that the accused had falsely presented himself as a genuine mobile phone supplier from the outset.
The defence sought Dh52,000 in temporary compensation for financial losses and damages suffered by the buyer.
Final Judgment
Court Decision
Final
Prison sentence
6 months
Fraud amount
Dh692,000
Devices involved
160 iPhone 17 Pro Max
Court fees
Payable by defendant
Compensation claim
Referred to civil court
In its final judgment, the Sharjah court concluded that the defendant’s actions met all the elements of criminal fraud, as he intentionally used deception and false representations to obtain the buyer’s money.
