The scams Dubai Police warned about this autumn are mostly online: fake links, impersonation and fake offers, so most tourist traps come down to checking who you pay. For a visitor that means five places to slow down: ticket and booking sites, safari touts, gold and watches, taxis and rental listings. This guide gives a simple check for each, shows what a clear booking looks like and says who to call if something goes wrong.
By SB Excursions · Published 3 November 2026 · Updated 3 November 2026
While you are in Dubai: Full-Day Desert Safari in Dubai — From $45 per person, 7 hours.
What are the most common tourist scams in Dubai?
Dubai Police warned about 6 online scams in late October: impersonating officials, fraudulent links, fake investments, fake job offers, impersonating friends or relatives and account takeover attempts. For tourists the practical risks are fake ticket and booking sites, unclear tour offers, fake gold and copy goods, taxi overcharging and fake rental listings.
This guide also answers:
- Is Dubai safe from scams?
- How do I check a taxi fare in Dubai?
- How do I book a desert safari safely?
Five places where visitors lose money
#1
Fake ticket sellers and look-alike sites
Dubai Police list fraudulent links and impersonation among the six online scams they warned about in late October. Tickets are an easy target. Start from the venue's own website, check the date and time on the confirmation, read the cancellation terms and pay by card where you can.
#2
Safari touts and unclear offers
A very low price from someone you cannot identify is the warning sign. Ask for the company name, the pickup time and place, the price per person, what is included and when you pay. Our desert safari is from $45 per person with no prepayment, which is the kind of clear offer to compare against.
#3
Fake gold, watches and copy goods
Gold is priced by weight at the day's rate plus a making charge and 5% VAT, with a karat stamp and an itemised invoice. A street seller with loose gold or a cheap luxury watch offers none of that. Copies of famous brands are illegal to sell, and your home customs may seize them.
#4
Taxi overcharging
RTA taxis run on a meter: a minimum fare of AED 12 on the street and AED 13 by app, 50 fils a minute of waiting and Salik tolls added. Ask for the meter to be on. A driver who restarts it in the middle of a trip with several stops is not following the RTA terms.
#5
Rental listings and fake links
A fake listing is a fake website in disguise. Do not pay a deposit by transfer before you have seen a contract, keep payment inside the booking platform and never read out a verification code. For cars, a real deposit is a hold on a credit card in the driver's name, and the contract is your proof.
Tourist scams in Dubai: the short answer
Most of what Dubai Police published this autumn is about online fraud: fake links, people pretending to be officials or friends, fake investments and fake job offers. For a visitor the same patterns show up as fake ticket sites, fake rental listings and messages that ask for a code. The street-level traps are the familiar ones in any tourist city: an unlicensed seller, a price that is too good and a meter that is not used.
The checks are the same each time. Who exactly am I paying? How? What is in writing? Can I verify the seller? The sections below apply those questions to tickets, safaris, gold and watches, taxis and rentals. Our guide to whether Dubai is safe for tourists covers the wider safety picture.
What Dubai Police warn about
Gulf News reported in late October that Dubai Police listed six online scams:
- Impersonating official organisations to collect personal or financial details.
- Fraudulent links that lead to fake websites.
- Fake investment opportunities.
- Fraudulent job offers.
- Impersonating friends and relatives to ask for money or confidential information.
- Account takeover attempts, where criminals try to obtain passwords and verification codes.
The advice is plain: do not open links from unknown sources, never share passwords or verification codes, verify requests for money before you pay, confirm who you are dealing with, do not answer suspicious messages and report suspected fraud promptly through official channels. Gulf News also reported that more than 25 government and semi-government bodies have joined the Be Aware of Fraud campaign and that fraud reports have fallen, without giving figures.
For a visitor this means slowing down at three moments: a booking link that arrives in a message, a WhatsApp contact who says they are a hotel or a driver, and any request to read out a code from your phone.
Fake tickets and look-alike booking sites
Tickets for towers, shows and events are where look-alike sites and social-media resellers work. We sell Burj Khalifa tickets ourselves, and they cannot be refunded or changed once issued, so we agree the date and time with you on WhatsApp before we book and send the e-tickets afterwards. A seller who skips that conversation, or who asks you to pay a personal account, is one to leave. The checks:
- Type the venue's web address yourself instead of following a link in a message.
- Check that the date, time and number of tickets on the confirmation match what you asked for.
- Pay by card where you can; a bank transfer to a private person is hard to reverse.
- Never share a verification code that arrives by text. Dubai Police list it as a sign of account takeover.
- For big events, buy from the official event portal, not from a resale listing.
Desert safari touts and unclear offers
The classic pitch is a very low price from a person in the street or an unfamiliar message. We have no figures on how common this is and no official public list of operators to point you to, so the checks are the ones that apply to any tour. Ask for the company name and get the pickup place and time, the total price per person and what is included in writing. Ask whether a quad bike or other extras cost more. Ask when you pay, and be wary of pressure such as a price that is valid only today. Compare two or three offers on what is included, not only on price.
The table shows what a clear offer looks like, using our own two day tours.
| Question | Full-day desert safari | Abu Dhabi city tour |
|---|---|---|
| Price | From $45 per person; $65 with the 30-minute quad bike | From $45 per person shared; $245 for a private car for up to 7 people |
| Duration | 7 hours | 9 hours |
| Pickup | Hotel pickup in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman in an air-conditioned 4x4 | 8:00 AM hotel pickup in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman |
| Included | Dune bashing, sandboarding, camel ride, BBQ dinner and shows | Transport, licensed guide, Grand Mosque with registration assistance, BAPS Mandir and Heritage Village |
| When you pay | On the day; no prepayment | On the day; no prepayment |
Our full-day desert safari and Abu Dhabi city tour are written this way so that you can hold any other offer up against them. We agree the date with you on WhatsApp, and you pay on the day.
Fake gold, copy watches and brand goods
Gold is sold by weight at the day's rate, plus a making charge and 5% VAT. The piece should carry a karat stamp and come with an itemised invoice that lists weight, karat, rate, making charge and VAT; the Gold Souk guide shows a worked example. A stranger offering loose gold or a cheap luxury watch in the street fails every one of those tests: no stamp, no invoice, no seller you can find later.
Copies of famous brands are sold quietly in some markets. Our souks guide notes that selling them is illegal and that your home customs may seize them. For a real watch or brand item, buy from a brand store or an authorised dealer, and keep the warranty card and the receipt.
Taxis: use the meter
The RTA's taxi service page gives the numbers to check against. The minimum fare is AED 12 for a pickup on the road and AED 13 when booked by app, the waiting fare is 50 fils a minute, Salik toll gates are added to the fare and AED 20 applies when the trip passes through Sharjah. The driver cannot restart the meter for multiple pickups and drop-offs, and fares can change in peak hours and at event locations. At the airport exit you pay the fare shown by the meter.
| Situation | What the RTA says | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A driver quotes a fixed price before you board | At the airport exit you pay as per the meter | Ask for the meter to be switched on, or take the next taxi or an app |
| The meter is restarted during a trip with several stops | The driver cannot restart the meter for multiple pickups and drop-offs | Ask for one meter to run for the whole trip and note the taxi number |
| Extra lines on the fare | Salik gates and AED 20 through Sharjah are added; peak hours and events can change fares | Ask for the printed receipt and check it against the meter |
| A problem with a ride | The RTA takes complaints by feedback form, by email at ask@rta.ae and by chat | Send the taxi number, the time and the route |
Our taxi and Careem guide lists typical fares for common routes, so that you can judge a quote before you get in.
Rental scams: cars and holiday homes
Dubai Police's warnings about fraudulent links and impersonation apply directly to online rental listings, because a fake listing is a fake website in disguise. Four habits cover most of the risk:
- Do not pay a deposit by transfer to a person before you have seen a written contract. A real car rental asks for a hold on a credit card in the driver's name, as our car rental guide explains.
- Keep the conversation and the payment inside the booking platform or the company's own site. A host who asks you to move to a messaging app and pay elsewhere is the standard warning sign.
- Never read out a verification code to someone who contacts you.
- Photograph the car and the fuel gauge when you collect it, and keep the contract. Fines and Salik charges arrive later, as the guide to traffic fines, Salik and parking shows.
A booking checklist, and who to call
A few steps work for every purchase in this guide:
- Know exactly who you pay: a company name, not only a first name on a messaging app.
- Get the price, the inclusions, the pickup details and the cancellation terms in writing before you pay.
- Pay by card where possible, and never share verification codes or passwords.
- Keep screenshots of the advert, the chat and the receipt.
- If something goes wrong, call 999 for an emergency, report suspected fraud promptly through official channels as Dubai Police advise, and tell your bank at once if you shared card details. For a taxi problem, use the RTA complaint channels.
If you would rather book a day that is already organised, our Burj Khalifa tickets are from $55 per person, with the date and time agreed on WhatsApp before we book.
FAQ
What are the most common tourist scams in Dubai?
Dubai Police warned about 6 online scams in late October: impersonating officials, fraudulent links, fake investments, fake job offers, impersonating friends or relatives and account takeover attempts. For tourists the practical risks are fake ticket and booking sites, unclear tour offers, fake gold and copy goods, taxi overcharging and fake rental listings.
Is Dubai safe from scams?
Mostly yes. Gulf News reported that fraud reports in Dubai fell this year and that more than 25 government and semi-government bodies joined the Be Aware of Fraud campaign. Online fraud remains the main risk, so check who you pay.
How do I avoid fake ticket sellers?
Start from the venue's own website or a seller you can verify, check the date, time and ticket count on the confirmation, read the cancellation terms and pay by card where you can. Never share a verification code that arrives by text.
How do I check a taxi fare in Dubai?
The RTA lists a minimum fare of AED 12 for a road pickup and AED 13 for an app booking, a waiting fare of 50 fils a minute, and extras for Salik gates and AED 20 through Sharjah. Ask for the meter, keep the printed receipt and complain to the RTA at ask@rta.ae if needed.
Is it safe to buy gold or watches from street sellers?
No. Gold should come with a karat stamp and an itemised invoice listing weight, rate, making charge and VAT, and a street seller offering loose gold or a cheap luxury watch gives you neither. Selling copies of famous brands is illegal.
How do I book a desert safari safely?
Ask for the company name, the pickup place and time, the price per person, what is included and when you pay, all in writing. Our desert safari is from $45 per person, or $65 with the quad bike, with no prepayment: the date is agreed on WhatsApp and you pay on the day.
How can I avoid rental scams in Dubai?
Do not pay a deposit by transfer before you see a contract, keep payment on the booking platform and never share a verification code. For cars, expect a hold on a credit card in the driver's name and photograph the car at pickup. Our car rental guide has the checklist.
Who do I call if I am scammed in Dubai?
For an emergency call 999. Dubai Police ask people to report suspected fraud promptly through official channels, and you should tell your bank at once if you shared card details. For a taxi complaint, use the RTA channels.
Recommended Dubai tours for this guide
Full-Day Desert Safari in Dubai
It is the slow-travel version of the classic safari: more time on the dunes, sunset without the crowds and a full evening programme at a premium camp with air-conditioned tents, unlimited drinks and a large BBQ buffet with vegetarian and gluten-free options. Everything is arranged from the hotel door — a licensed English-speaking driver, the 4x4, the camp and the shows.
- Duration
- 7 hours
- Area
- Lahbab Desert, Dubai
- Format
- Full-day desert safari
- Best for
- families, couples and first-time desert visitors who want the full evening programme
From $45 per person No prepayment
View tour
Abu Dhabi City Tour from Dubai
It is the classic capital day in one organised loop: the mosque before the midday heat and crowds, the newly opened BAPS Mandir, the skyline from the Corniche, Bedouin history at Heritage Village and a photo op at Ferrari World. Transport, a licensed guide, mosque registration assistance and bottled water are included; the $45 shared tour covers all free-entry sites, and a private VIP car for up to 7 people is $245.
- Duration
- 9 hours
- Area
- Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Format
- Full-day guided city tour (shared or private)
- Best for
- families, seniors and first-time visitors who want the capital's landmarks in one day
From $45 per person No prepayment
View tour
Burj Khalifa Observation Deck
It is a ticket, not a guided tour: you pick the date and time slot, we book it and send the e-tickets on WhatsApp, and you make your own way to The Dubai Mall. Levels 124 and 125 suit most visitors; SKY adds Level 148 at 555 m with priority access, a multilingual host and refreshments. On request we also book Sky Views Observatory, The View at The Palm and Dubai Frame.
- Duration
- 1.5-2 hours
- Area
- Downtown Dubai
- Format
- Timed-entry ticket
- Best for
- first-time visitors, couples and families who want Dubai from the observation decks of the 828-metre Burj Khalifa
From $55 per person Full prepayment
View tour📚 Keep reading
Photos: Fake gold, watches and copy goods — Radosław Botev, CC BY 3.0 pl (Wikimedia Commons).