Tourist Jailed After Using Forged Emirates IDs to Get Discounts in Dubai

A Frenchman will spend three months in jail for using forged Emirates ID tags to receive discounts in Dubai.

A French tourist who was looking for cheap travel in Dubai will be booked into a United Arab Emirates jail, after pleading guilty to using forged Emirates identification tags. Dubai’s The National reports the 26-year-old tourist — identified only as “M M” — will spend the next three months incarcerated.

The traveler reportedly hatched the plan back in January, when he created three Emirates employee ID cards in Thailand. He then paid around $25 to have his photo put on the ID tags, with the intention of accessing discounts offered to Emirates’ employees in Dubai.

When the traveler arrived in Dubai the following month, a security camera caught him using the forgeries to access a residential area used by Emirates employees. However, the security guard working the area became suspicious of him and requested the assistance of his supervisor. Ultimately, both the guard and supervisor reported the incident to police.

“M M” plead guilty to one count of using forged documents, while pleading not guilty to charges of forgery. Once his sentence is complete, he will be deported out of the UAE.

The French tourist is not the only person accused of attempting to access unauthorized airline perks this year. In May, an American flyer was sentenced to six months in prison after being convicted of scamming airlines out of employee tickets.

[Photo: iStock]