Dubai jet ski scam: How many more victims?
Sixteen companies operate around 160 jet skis at Al Mamzar in Sharjah (Picture for illustrative purpose only) IMAGE CREDIT: SUPPLIED
Every few days someone is forced to pay thousands of dirhams to seedy operators in Sharjah’s Al Mamzar area but the racket still flourishes.
Sharjah: If you have the nerve to go for a jet ski ride in Sharjah’s Al Mamzar area, then you should also have to consider the appalling risks you face.
Less than a week after XPRESS reported how a man fell prey to a jet ski scam and ended up paying Dh3,000 for what should have been a Dh100 ride, scores have come forward with their stories. Each is a terrifyingly similar account of subterfuge involving mysterious accidents and collisions. While many ended up in hospital (some even died) have had to fork out thousands of dirhams in damages which, as the scam goes (see modus operandi), are bogus, pre-existing and often negligible.
Sixteen companies operate around 160 jet skis in Sharjah.
In Dubai jet skis are regulated by the Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) and in Abu Dhabi rental firms are required to register their watercraft, observe speed limits and all other safety rules related to the use of Personal Watercraft (Jet Ski). Thrill seekers are now calling for similar regulations in Sharjah where jet skis are licensed by the emirate’s Economic Department. “People have died. Something needs to be done. And fast,” said Cezina Dsouza, mother of jet ski accident victim Daylin.