Fraudsters masquerading as Dubai business owners vanished after pilfering goods valued at hundreds of thousands of dirhams, but an unexpected clue from a ChatGPT-composed email might reveal their identities.
The group, using the name of a food company based in Bur Dubai, reportedly acquired tonnes of food products from UAE traders using post-dated cheques and counterfeit payment notices. Before the cheques could be processed, they closed operations and went into hiding, leaving numerous suppliers in disbelief.
Traders now suspect that a minor error in a ChatGPT-generated email might lead them to the perpetrators.
The email, sent by a woman identifying as Ayesha, allegedly a sales representative for the now-defunct company, proved to be her undoing. Attempting to appear “more professional,” she used ChatGPT to refine her message before dispatching it to a supplier. However, the AI-generated email contained a trackable username and timestamp that probably linked back to her true identity, providing what could be the first digital breadcrumb in this investigation.
“It’s a clear giveaway,” stated Sathya, a Dubai-based businesswoman whose firm, Sathya Mohan Trading LLC, supplied 10 tonnes of red chilli powder valued at Dh293,000 to the company. “I was communicating with someone claiming to be Ayesha, but it’s evident now that wasn’t her real name,” she mentioned, displaying the email in question.
The email began with: “Certainly, [a different name], here’s a more formal and polished version of the confirmation reply.” The remainder of the email acknowledged receipt of correspondence and acceptance of terms and conditions—an exchange that, at the time, seemed completely legitimate.
For legal reasons, Khaleej Times is withholding the woman’s name and the company until the ongoing police investigation is concluded.
The only clue
Sathya, who arranged the shipment from her hometown in Tamil Nadu, said the consignment was dispatched through Cochin Port and released from Jebel Ali after she handed over the original bill of lading on September 29 against a payment advice of $79,800.
“When I took it to the bank, they told me the payment advice was fake,” she recalled. “I rushed to their office, but it was too late. They had already shut down.”
Since then, Sathya and her husband have been tirelessly trying to trace their goods. “All phone numbers linked to the company are disconnected. The only clue we have is this ChatGPT mistake,” she said, holding a printout of the email.
Another trader in Dubai’s Al Ras area, who also filed a police report, said he lost Dh70,000 worth of peanuts in a similar transaction. “They gave me a post-dated cheque which later bounced,” he said, requesting anonymity. “When I went to their office, it was locked. The watchman told me several traders had been visiting, all searching for the same people.”
“It’s still early days,” he added, “but from what I hear, the number of affected traders could easily run into dozens.”
Yet another Dubai-based supplier reported losing Dh18,900 worth of green tea after delivering goods against post-dated cheques that also bounced. “We’ve filed a police complaint and are now waiting for updates,” stated a company representative.
The case is reminiscent of several scams previously reported by Khaleej Times, where entities posing as legitimate businesses obtained goods and services on credit and then vanished. In July, for instance, a company named RAK Marine Services allegedly orchestrated a multi-million-dirham fraud after securing bulk orders with post-dated cheques and forged documents, before vacating its Deira offices. The firm and its affiliates left behind unpaid debts exceeding Dh25 million and a long list of defrauded suppliers, from food distributors and electronics dealers to travel agencies.
