Gang stole money by sending 118,000 phishing emails impersonating banks and financial institutions DUBAI: A Dubai court has found 30 people and seven companies guilty of laundering money and embezzling 32 million Emirati dirhams ($8.7 million) in an online fraud targeting individuals and businesses, the Emirates News Agency reported. The 30 gang members were sentenced to a combined total of 96 years in prison and will be deported from the UAE after serving their time. The court also ordered the defendants to jointly pay a fine of more than 32 million dirhams, while the seven firms were handed a combined total fine of 700,000 dirhams. Counselor Ismail Madani, senior advocate general and head of public funds prosecution, said that the gang stole the money by sending 118,000 phishing emails to victims, falsely impersonating banks and financial institutions with which they had business relationships. The emails asked those targeted to transfer payments to the defendants’ accounts, which they then either cashed out the money, transferred to other accounts, or bought used cars to hide the illegal source of the funds, Madani added. He noted that UAE authorities were making every effort to combat such criminal activity and were committed to tackling money laundering, online crimes, and scams that had the potential to impact on the national economy.