You have lost crypto to a scam, and you are in the United Arab Emirates. The next few days matter more than the next few weeks.
Information, not advice
This page is information, not legal advice about your matter. A retainer begins only when a lawyer confirms it.
Start here
Report it today, and keep everything
Transaction IDs, wallet addresses, every message, and the exchange you sent from. Report to Dubai Police eCrime and to the exchange that received the funds on the same day. Anyone promising to recover your money for an upfront fee is running a second scam.
What to work through, in order
Reporting, and what each channel actually does
Dubai Police eCrime and the federal cybercrime channels create the record, and the receiving exchange may freeze on early contact. VARA-licensed entities carry reporting obligations of their own.
Tracing and the realistic odds
Onshore courts and the DIFC and ADGM courts offer different procedural routes, and the DIFC courts have handled digital asset disputes. Recovery still turns on where the funds finally landed.
Costs, and whether it is worth pursuing
Cost recovery is limited onshore, while the DIFC and ADGM courts follow a costs-follow-the-event approach closer to English practice.
Recovery scams
Anyone who contacts you promising to recover your funds for an upfront fee is running a second scam against the same victim. No legitimate firm guarantees recovery, and no legitimate firm asks for payment in crypto to start.
Next steps
What happens if you go ahead
Scoping call
Written scope and fixed-fee quote
Engagement, once a lawyer confirms
Who would handle it
Offices
Dubai
DMCC Crypto Centre, 12th Floor, Uptown Tower, Dubai