This is the story of how I was almost scammed.

It was mid May and the skies were grey and I pondered as it rained sporadically through the day. The snow had gone. The cold still carried on. A glimpse of sun, and iced latte in my hand, and a view overlooking a crowded parking lot and construction noise is all I needed. I recently cut out sugar. I think I finally came to terms with how it was ruining my body. I was recovering from the cold and icy weather. Alhamdulilah for the coming of the summer months.

The weather’s not that bad now. I complain because that is what I’m good at. I have had four different jobs this year. Still, I am always looking for something new. Something fresh. Something that will make me feel like life makes sense.

I recently found out I was allergic to trees, cats, dogs, and dust. I also have eczema and asthma. A severe nut allergy that seems to be worsening. I left my allergist office who just fucked up my forearms and who gave me the bad news in confusion. I shouldn’t be here, I thought. I need to look for new jobs, I pondered. I need a million dollars, I dreamed. Then I woke to an email notification. And this wasn’t just some dumbass promotion for a store I went to once that should really be in the promotion section of my email which pisses me off cause what’s the point of that section if it is so easily overrided. I got a job offer. A nice one. A phat one dare I add. My empty pockets suddenly felt full. A job in Dubai. They have found my resume on NauriGulf, an international job recruiting agency that I have an account for. My life suddenly made sense.

Listen. I have been going through it okay. Trust me, you know it’s bad when that thought of “I should start a blog” suddenly comes into fruition. This job offer had it all. But they didn’t advertise it as such initially. I got a friendly email. Gently asking me about my experience and desired salary- red flag but I was sad so I ignored it. I sent in the info with my resume and went on my merry way. They responded.

You will be eligible to receive AED 45,500 (UAE Dirham’s only) –Basic Monthly. All salary and

Working schedule: This is a full-time position requiring approximately 40 hours per week. Your regular weekly

schedule will be Sunday to Thursday 09:00-17:00 and with observance of prescribed holidays.

Allowances/ Entitlements: *Yearly Bonus

*Car Maintenance: 3,400 AED (Monthly)

*House & Furnishings: 125,659 AED (Yearly)

*Travel & Events: AED 4,489 (Monthly)

*Free Medicals care for Employee/Family

Wow. That’s a whole lot. But hey, I deserve it. But there was something that stood out. Something that turned out to be a bit more sinister…

The Employee is requested to contact EHAB KAZIM of GULF EASTERN TRAVEL L.L.C-UAE, With the below office address through email, who shall be responsible for the processing of his or her Valid UAE. Work/Residence Permit Visa and then should forward it to the HR DEPARTMENT of LATIFA HOSPITAL- DUBAI for. Verification and authenticity confirmation. Hence any expenses incurred by employee during the processing of his documents shall be refunded to the candidate after 5 working days of concluding all Immigration/Labor UAE arrangement.

You will be responsible for your travel expenses, and LATIFA HOSPITAL- DUBAI will refund only travel expenses made through our travel agency to you. This reason is to have a confirmation of your total expenses, availability also as a proof of your seriousness and commitment to join our working team.

They wanted my ass to pay…. In this economy. Nah. So emailed them back.

Hi

Thank you for your offer. Is it possible to receive more information about the position. 

Thank you 

See how polite I am. But crickets. Suddenly I didn’t matter. So, I thought “hey, let me sign this motherfudgin offer letter and send it back.” So I did. All that it has is a signature, let’s see what happens.

Greetings to you from the Latifa Hospital- Dubai.

We acknowledge the receipt of your signed Contract Agreement as a confirmation of your acceptance of this Employment Appointment..

Kindly contact GULF EASTERN TRAVEL L.L.C- UAE through their Email Address: info@gulfeasterntravels.com for the processing of your UAE Residence/Work Permits, as you were directed. Also, send them the signed Copy of your Contract Document for reference purposes..

Meanwhile, I remind you that adequate arrangements have been made by us, for your flight tickets, reimbursements, and relocation allowances/benefits as soon as you complete the Processing of your Papers, through the Travel Agency.

Be guided accordingly, and do the needful!

Hmmmmmm. I found myself pondering again. Let me do some research. This seems like a scam. But again, life is hard and I’m aiming for a fifth job this year.

First I searched the hospital on my browser. I checked the address on the offer letter “latifahospital.com”

.com

.com

.com

I kept repeating that. That’s strange. Shouldn’t it have the country code. Like “.ca” would be for Canada. UAE is “.ae” right? But when I searched the hospital on my browser. It looked hella real. Like there were doctors listed, a mission statement, patient testimonials, links of specialities. Strange still. “.com” I then searched the hospital name on google. The “latifahospital.com” didn’t show up. No where to check reviews. But there was a hospital with that name under another website that showed a network of hospitals and that ended in “.ae”

Then I searched this travel agency they wanted to me correspond with. Listed first on google. Website looked very real. I even searched the travel agency with the word “real” next to it on google and there were safe guards telling me it was real.

Curious…

So I emailed the travel agency.

Hi 

I signed a contract with Latifa Hospital in Dubai and was told to follow up with you regarding residence/work permits. I have attached a copy of the contract to this email. 

Thank you

They responded.

Attention: “real name redacted”

We received your message and confirmed your Authenticity through the Human Resources Department of your Employer ( Latifa Hospital- Dubai ), concerning your job and the issuance of your Work permit/Residency visa.

We, therefore, confirm further details as follows:

In order to commence the processing of your Work Permit and Residence/Entry Visa to the UAE, you have to send/complete the applicant Work Permit and Residence/Entry Visa application form.

Return to us as scanned Email attachments, along with the below identification documents:

1)  A COPY OF YOUR INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT (COPY BEARING THE APPLICANT’S FACE)

2)  FILLED VISA/WORK PERMIT APPLICATION FORM  (ATTACHED BELOW)

3)  A PASSPORT-SIZED PHOTOGRAPH (COLORED OR BLACK-WHITE BACKGROUND)

4)  EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION

5)  HOME COUNTRY PRACTICE LICENSE

6)  THE SIGNED COPY OF YOUR EMPLOYMENT LETTER.

You are required to complete the registration/application form and send it along with the prerequisite Government/Immigration Processing charges below :

Single status : 2,125 US$—( AED 7,800 ) 

Family status : 3,522 US$—( AED 12,925 )

For Family visa Processing; you will have to pay the sum US$ 3,522 and this will cover you and your entire family, Also include the passport copies/photos of all your family members.

Based on the institute’s expatriate policy; the employee is entitled to personally pay for Resident/Work permits papers which is USD$ 2,125 that is for a single applicant, OR if you are coming with your family, you are advised to make only the payment of USD$ 3,522 which is the fee for the Family Resident/Work Permit.

The originals of the work permit and residence/entry visa with all the hard copies of your documents will be couriered to your forwarding address once the process is completed,

Kindly indicate your preferred postal address while reverting to the work permit and residence/entry visa requirements.

NOTE: We have the mandate to procure your papers within a stipulated time and this is in line with our procurement policy, Therefore ensure you submit all requirements for quicker and uncomplicated processing as we have a mandate from your sponsor/Employer to complete the process within (12) Twelve working days and do not keep appointments more than 7 working days after the first contact.

You are required to fill out the Work Permit and Residence Visa Application form which is also the registration form and send it back to us, Just fill in the information you can provide for yourself and your family members (If you are coming with family) and leave the remaining spaces blank.

Kindly leave the PARTICULARS OF SPONSOR / HOST and the RESIDENCE ADDRESS Blank/Empty, they are for office use.

Once you fill out the application form and email it back to us with a scanned copy of your passport data page and a passport photograph of you, we will send you the Payment/Transfer details through Bank Transfer, Ria Money Transfer, or Al Ansari Exchange to transfer the prerequisite Government/Immigration Processing fees.

Ensure that you send us the receipt of the Payment/Transfer for reference and confirmation because we have the mandate to attach the receipt to your application file and also forward the receipt to your Employer ( Latifa Hospital- Dubai  ) for record purposes, as they will release your reimbursements once you complete this process with us.

We will immediately begin the processing of your U.A.E Papers once we receive the required documents and the payment confirmation from you.

Your Visa/Work Permit will be ready in 12 working days’ time, we will also, send you via Email your Flight ticket(s) paid for by your Employing institute soon after we complete the process.

Thanks in advance for your kind understanding and co-operation.

Yours faithfully,

MR. EHAB KAZIM.

GULF EASTERN TRAVEL L.L.C-UAE

Address: Al shafar Building 7, 1st Floor, Al Wasl Road

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Tel: +971 524887357

Wait a minute. My dreams of living lavish and coming to terms with a promised 9-5 in Dubai seemed to vanish as quickly as they appeared. They want me to pay $2125. Wait not CAD. USD. So, add a thousand basically and 2-3 months of me paying it off on my credit card. Nah son.

This seems fake. Time to bust out my laptop. I cracked my fingers. Looked again to the gloomy weather from my bedroom window. Ignored the cries of my sister’s cat wanting to come in and my frustration after realizing I was allergic to her annoying ass. It was time to search on.

I googled the travel agency again. I scrolled a bit and found a PDF on google. Strange. Better not be a virus, but if it was- oh well. My life sucks anyway, I thought. Technology isn’t real.

Folks, my jaw dropped. I was torn between horror, amazement, and disgust. There in this random ass PDF file was an offer letter for a random gentlemen physician with a salary offer almost identical to mine. Oh my. I looked further and I found another one. Maybe they’re just inclusive and believe nurses should be paid as much as doctors, I hoped. But I looked closer at one of these offer letters and found a hospital listed “Al Latifa.” They dropped the “Al” when they approached me. But why? Seems nicer in my opinion to have. I searched the website of this hospital listed on this random ass job offer for this phantom man on my browser and it didn’t exist. So this offer letter, with the same font, same promises, same watermark, same hospital, same instructions to pay for a visa, without the regal sounding “Al” in front of it…

Are my G- Wagon dreams over? I would soon know for sure.

I went to travel agency website again. I looked through this number one listed on google website. I shuddered as I examined it’s detail and made my way to the info section. There I found some interesting information.

Under the “Contact Us”

Dubai Office

Gulf Eastern Travel L.L.C
Address: Al shafar Building 7, 1st Floor, Al Wasl Road

– Dubai, United Arab Emirates
P.O. Box: 29254
CONTACT PERSON: Ehab Kazim.
(Chief Immigration Agent)
Tel.: +971 524887357
Fax: +971 4-5314971
Email: info@gulfeasterntravels.coms

Take a closer look. Really look. What kinda email address ends in “coms.” My G-Wagon dreams gone. My heart sinking. My allergy symptoms raging on.

Okay, so yes. It’s a scam. It’s obviously a scam. The same motherfucker was emailing me from both emails. Why is there one employee at this travel agency? Yeah, yeah. I don’t want to hear it. It looked real. So I did what anyone with a lot of time on their hands would do. I trolled.

Here lies my correspondence with first the travel agency, then with the hospital. Please note that I do admire the determination on their side. I don’t know, I’m kinda lazy. I sometimes feel like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind, in space for 11 minutes, then back down to earth only to do it all over again….

Hi

If I pay extra will this help expedite the process? I am very interested

Thank you

Their reply

We do not need the extra, with the amount stated, we will expedite the process.

Thanks

Ehab Kazim

Me

Can I pay via wire transfer? 

This motherfucker

Yes, wire transfer is acceptable but the first step is receiving the required documents for our perusal, then we will provide our company bank account details for the wire transfer.

Thanks

Ehab Kazim

Me

Yes. Will do. In case wire transfer doesn’t work, can I pay via crypto? 

Then the hospital began emailing me. Someone was emailing me from both emails at the same time, and eventually stopped signing their name. This made me confident I was annoying. Mad unprofessional on their end. I will show my correspondence with the hospital shortly.

Travel agency

Yes, crypto is acceptable and even faster.

Thanks

Ehab Kazim

Me

That’s lovely and wonderful to know! I have a question about the Visa form, where it says “Father’s name,” can I put my uncle’s name? I never really knew my father and would feel it is disingenuous to list him as he did not raise me. 

Him

The name you put in your father’s name space has to correspond with the name in your passport copy. 

Nobody is going to contact your father for anything.

So if put your uncle’s name and it doesn’t tally with the name in your passport copy, it will raise an eyebrow.

Thanks for your understanding.

Ehab Kazim

Me

Thank you for your clarification. I will put both my uncle and fathers name then. 

My correspondence with the hospital as follows

Hi

Can I have a video call with the management please before. Thank you

No response.

Me again.

Hi

I want to negotiate a higher salary. I wish to receive 20% more than what was listed in the offer letter. Is there room for negotiation?  

Dear “real name redacted,”

Greetings to you from the Latifa Hospital- Dubai.

You only going to have room for your salary negotiation upon your arrival here.

Me:

I wish to speak with someone via video call to help make my decision 

The hospital (notice how they no longer sign with the doctor’s name? Lazy)

Greetings to you from the Latifa Hospital- Dubai.

I’m sorry, we are too busy for such now. you are free to reach us over a phone call

Hi

Thank you for patience. I want to know if I can bring my common wealth non-binary gender fluid partner not witholding and part of the BIPOC initiative as a listed family member. I am unsure of the UAE’s policy. We are not legally married. Please let me know as this will influence my decision. I am talking to my bank currently about allocating funds and liquidating assets for this exciting move. 

Greetings to you from the Latifa Hospital- Dubai.

According to the UAE law, as long as you are capable of taking care anybody you listed on the form as your family member, they are not against them.

So feel free to go ahead and put the person name and his/her relationship with you on the visa form.

They identify as gender fluid. Should I put both him/her? Is there possibility to put their pronouns of ze/zer? Thank you for you patience in navigating this. 

Please put their pronouns of ze/zer

Regards

Thank you for being so inclusive to zem. Can you send me a photo of the unit I will be stationed at? Thank you 

No response. Were they tired of me? Let me email again.

Hi

Please note I have an allergy to hand sanitizer rubs. Does your hospital provide alternatives? Such as hydrogen peroxide or bleach? 

Thank you 

Greetings to you from the Latifa Hospital- Dubai.

You do not have to worry about anything that has to do with your station/unit, because upon your arrival, you will have to place your station/unit in a way that pleases you. 

Upon your arrival, all expected from you is to list out anything/equipment’s you want to replace from your station/unit and we will provide them for you, in other to get the best services from you.

As for the hydrogen peroxide, we do have them there already.

That is excellent news. I wish to follow up on dual inquiries. First, I have a club foot and at my hospital I am supplied with a staff member who helps stabilize my leg when needed. Is this something that can be accommodated? Second, I have medication that will expire and go to waste and wonder if I can travel with it to use on the units patients. All medication is unsealed and fits the population well. 

Greetings to you from the Latifa Hospital- Dubai.

A staff member who helps stabilize your leg will be accommodated and you will show us the medication and we will go through it when you are about to start coming.

First, go ahead and complete the residence/work permit visa with the travel agency and every other things can follow.

Wow. They are accommodating, and opened minded when it comes to my zem. But they are scammers. I felt like Nev from Catfish on this quest. Basic google searches only to uncover the obvious- it’s a catfish.

I woke up and saw the UAE embassy responded to my email. Their response was clear, succinct, and gave me confidence that I dodged a bullet.

Hello,

Don’t pay it scam.

Thanks

Beautifully put. Looks like a haiku but it’s not. Anyway, thank you for joining me on this exciting journey. I was never sought out for a scam before. Just always kinda fell for them. Makes me feel special, but not in the way I want.

Through more research I have learned this is a common scam. A promise of a hospital job in Dubai with too good to be true perks and clear instructions to pay out of pocket with a travel agency.

They said they would accept wire transfer, and crypto is even faster. Fuck em.