Massage card scams on the rise in UAE: How cops are clamping down on the menace

Massage card scams on the rise in UAE: How cops are clamping down on the menace

Six million massage cards have been seized across Dubai and several gangs have been busted in the emirate and in Sharjah

Published: Sat 26 Nov 2022, 6:09 AM

No matter how dodgy those massage cards seemed — with all the obscene photos of women plastered all over them — many UAE residents still fall for the racket, the police have revealed in an interview with Khaleej Times.

The number of victims — some of whom were beaten, stripped down to their undergarments, filmed naked, and robbed at knifepoint — has been rising. And the police attributed the spike to two factors: Many of these people are too embarrassed to report such an incident. Others fear the legal implications of trying to get an illegal massage.

However, those who are brave enough to file a police complaint have horrifying stories to tell.

Hani, a restaurant manager in Abu Dhabi, was one such victim. During one of his trips to Dubai, he dialled up the number on a massage card he found on his car window.

"A woman with a soft voice answered the call and sent the location. When I arrived at the apartment, three African women forced me to enter and asked me to pay first.