“Dear Steve,
Had been studying in dubai for over 4 years. One evening right outside my college I see a number of Emirates Bank Salesman giving away Applications forms for a Student Credit card. All they needed was a passport copy and I had a credit card with a spending limit of 3000 Dhs…
I Had that CC for about 2-3 years during which I paid off my debt a nmumber of times and then spend money using it again…
Finally My time came to leave Dubai and I Paid my debt back….But I still had to pay back 300 dhs and I was literally broke and had already paid 3000 dhs……
I was expectin to come back to dubai with a couple of months but never came back there….during which i forgot to pay back the 300 dhs…..
2 years later I turn on my sim card(my dubai mobile) and I get an SMS sayin I have a 3500 dhs debt……..
They hadn’t taken any sort of signed blank check from me or anything…..
I have not visited Dubai since…What do you think is the best way around this situation?
THey gave me a CC when I was a student …..n 100 $ became a 1000$…What Do I do?
Isaac”
Dear Isaac,
I’m afraid you fell for the same college credit card marketing that students in the United States get taken by all the time. The marketer for Emirates Bank was passing out credit card applications and made it very easy to get the card.
The reason they did this in the UAE to you and the reason it happens to students all over the world is simple. College students are of legal age to enter a contract, don’t know better, and are attracted to the lure of their first credit card.
The unknown factor here is if the current balance of 3500 is the result of fees and penalties on the 300 you left unpaid or if they are claiming the entire balance due again.
When it comes to debt in Dubai there is no real way ‘around’ the situation. The best course of action at this point is to call Emirates Bank and get an understanding of what they say you owe. You could enter into a payment arrangement to repay it or come to some agreement of an amount less than 3500 you could pay to satisfy the debt.
If you are living outside of a GCC country then you don’t need to worry about being arrested for this debt but if you are planning to return to UAE, Dubai or another GCC country you should get this resolved before you cross the border otherwise you might be arrested and find yourself in jail.
Please update me on your progress by
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Hi Isaac, we’d like you use your story as a feature for our website Campus Cashy – which deals with just this – student loans, debt, and how to get out of it. Please let us know if you’re interested.