Top lawyer warns women of ‘scary’ dangers of heading to Middle East to marry rich men for a lifestyle of luxury – because they might have to live with up to three other wives and ‘are literally being dumped on the street’
Top lawyer warns women of ‘scary’ dangers of heading to Middle East to marry rich men for a lifestyle of luxury – because they might have to live with up to three other wives and ‘are literally being dumped on the street’
British wives boasting of luxury new lives funded by millionaire husbands in Dubai have been warned they risk being dumped homeless on the streets at any moment.
Experts have revealed a surge in complaints from not only women but also men betrayed and dumped by wealthy partners after upping sticks for the Middle East.
The alert comes amid a TikTok and Instagram trend of UK women sharing footage of spending sprees in the United Arab Emirates after wedding wealthy husbands.
It comes as Mail Online reported on an influx of expats pampered by rich partners, enjoying days filled with shopping trips, extravagant meals and property upgrades.
Yet there is a ‘dark side’ to Dubai that many women only discover too late, according to Manchester-based Amaras International Lawyers’ Samara Iqbal.
Specialist lawyer Samara Iqbal has told Mail Online of a surge in cases from both men and women concerned about their treatment after falling for millionaire partners
Soudi Peat, from Horsham in West Sussex, wed Jamal Al Nadak three years ago and regularly reveals on TikTok details and footage of her new surroundings and glittering possessions
Fashion fan Safa Siddiqui began by selling real estate in London but now indulges her love of the high life after moving to Dubai where she lives with husband Fahad Siddiqui
She told of being inundated with calls for help from not only women but also men wanting protection amid fears they have been – or could be – exploited by a partner promising an alluring new lifestyle in the Middle East.
And she has issued a hitlist of warning signs for anyone feeling tempted – while also highlighting a new civil court in neighbouring Abu Dhabi which could offer more help to women stranded overseas and yet which remains little-known to many.
Ms Iqbal’s firm is based in Manchester but a surge in cases has seen new branches open in Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
She too is a watcher of TikTok videos promoting what seem to be aspirational lives in the Middle East – but is now warning women to beware of hidden dangers.
She outlined how many women find out only too late their husband might have as many as three other wives – and that while handing over upmarket clothes, cards and credit cards, everything remains documented in only his name.
Ms Iqbal told Mail Online: ‘We’ve got lots of British women who are attracted by these promises of a luxurious lifestyle, even though their own families aren’t happy about it – and not realising he can cut her off at any moment.
‘People are literally being dumped on the street. It looks nice, but there’s a dark side to Dubai – it can be very scary out there.’
Her firm is increasingly being approached for advice on potential pre-nuptial and also post-nuptial agreements as more and more women feel tempted by marriages to someone they’ve met here before moving together overseas.
Samara Iqbal, from Manchester-based Aramas International Lawyers, has issued warnings to British brides hoping for extravagant new lifestyles when moving to the Middle East
Another Briton now in the United Arab Emirates is Dorset-raised Caroline Stanbury who lives there with her second husband, Spanish former Real Madrid footballer Sergio Carrallo
Soudi told followers about her marriage rules including neither partner having friends of the opposite sex while both must know each other’s passwords and locations at all times
She said: ‘We often deal with cases more and more on a daily basis in which lots of women have married and moved out to the UAE only to be left stranded without any source of money and essentially being “cut off” by their rich partners.
‘While these partners may be providing and funding their luxurious lifestyles – cars, designer items, expensive jewellery, holidays, meals out – none of this actually belongs to these women and there is nothing in their name. It’s all in their partners name.
‘Women are thrown out of marital homes as they do not belong to them – credit cards cut off and they have no recourse to any of the possessions, houses, companies and assets the partner has solely in his own name.
‘These assets come under Sharia law and belongs to the person whose name its registered to and she would not be entitled to any of it if her name is not registered.’
Potential husbands might swoop in during university days together, drinking and nightclubbing in a way they would no longer do when back in the UAE, she suggests.
Women are not the only ones at risk, according to Ms Iqbal – she described being asked for advice by men serenaded by sheikhs in London and promised a better life abroad but worried they could be abandoned or blackmailed over their sexuality.
In the past year a new civil court in Abu Dhabi has been opened which does recognise British civil orders and tends to look more favourably on UK wives wanting a settlement or at least joint custody of any children.
Yet too many people still remain unaware it exists, Ms Iqbal said.
Soudi is pictured here by Brighton Pier on England’s South Coast, having been brought up in nearby Horsham in West Sussex before making the move to the United Arab Emirates
Soudi and Jamal, shown here at the five-star Habtoor Palace Dubai, wed three years ago after meeting when studying together at the same university in Dubai
Soudi’s preferred local haunts in downtown Dubai – shared with 1.2million followers on TikTok – include the five-star St Regis hotel where she is pictured here
She warned: ‘I see so many girls who say they’re going overseas with a rich prince, thinking nothing can now go wrong – more and more British women are doing so.
‘But if he wants to suddenly cut her off, he can do – he can literally throw her on the streets.
‘We’re seeing more and more people who have married and moved out to the Middle East, thinking they’ve being given a luxury lifestyle, but it only lasts so long – and the courts will go against her.’
The concerns come amid many social media influencers such as Sussex-raised Soudi Al Nadak showcasing their lavish lifestyles in Dubai funded by millionaire partners after quitting the UK.
Housewife Soudi, 26 and originally from Horsham in West Sussex, shared a Tiktok video of being treated at a UAE luxury mall by husband Jamal Al Nadak, 32.
The couple met when both studying at university in Dubai seven years ago.
Her TikTok account, followed by 1.2million people, provides regular updates celebrating their glittering property and elite-level shopping sprees.
Other UK influencers sharing online their Middle East experiences include British-Iranian fashion fan Safa Siddiqui, who sold real estate in London but now lives in Dubai with affluent husband Fahad Siddiqui.
The housewife describes her love of designer labels and how she’s treated by her wealthy husband who gives approval when updated about her ‘next few purchases’
Soudi’s TikTok videos provide frequent updates on her life as ‘a millionaire’s wife in Dubai’ – and she has also responded critics branding her a ‘gold digger
Samara Iqbal, whose company has offices in not only Manchester but also the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, has drawn up a hitlist of precautions to take
The couple starred in recent Netflix reality TV show Dubai Bling, in which she told of loving ‘the smell of luxury’, adding: ‘I like to aim high and then go above that.’
She was also seen on-screen demanding her husband buy a new home with larger storage space for her clothes.
Ms Iqbal told of regularly seeing such accounts dominate her TikTok viewing too – yet she wants to issue caution for people swept up and potentially tempted to pursue a similar mission.
She said: ‘It might seem like a lovely life, with all these designer handbags and cars, but everything will invariably be registered under the husband’s name.
‘And if the relationship ends, the wife might struggle to get hold of any of her belongings – her husband could even get her deported if he wanted to, simply accusing her of cheating without any truth to it.’
She feels some clients are feeling more cautious, even as they embark on what they see as a new adventure – while others come for belated help.
Ms Iqbal said: ‘We’re doing a lot of pre-nuptial deals but also plenty of post-nuptials too – splits can get nasty.
‘Over the past year there’s a new civil court in Abu Dhabi which can follow UK no-fault divorce terms, splitting assets 50-50 and predominantly used by expats – but not enough people know about it.’
Former Londoner Safa Siddiqui, right, featured on Netflix reality TV series Dubai Bling along with Zeina Khoury, left, and Fahana Bodi, middle
Safa was seen on screen demanding a new house with more storage space for her clothes
Former footballer Sergio Carrallo and Caroline Stanbury confirmed their romance in July 2021 before marrying in Mauritius in November the following year, followed by a ceremony in Dubai
Caroline was a personal stylist before making a brief appearance in reality show Ladies of London, broadcast in Britain between 2014 and 2017.
‘Over the past year there’s a new civil court in Abu Dhabi which can follow UK no-fault divorce terms, splitting assets 50-50 and predominantly used by expats – but not enough people know about it.
Another prominent Middle East personality is Caroline Stanbury, whose second husband Sergio Carrallo previously played football for Spanish giants Real Madrid.
She grew up in Dorset, daughter of venture capitalist Anthony Stanbury and fashion designer Elizabeth Stanbury, before her venture to the UAE where she featured in 2022 TV series The Real Housewives Of Dubai.
She was linked in the past Prince Andrew and actor Hugh Grant, though has denied any romantic involvement with either.
She shares children Aaron, Zac, and Yasmine with first husband, Turkish financier Cem Habib, having moved to Dubai in 2016 before separating three years later.
Caroline, now 47, started dating Carrallo in 2020 before marrying in Mauritius in November the following year ahead of a follow-up ceremony in Dubai.
She has celebrated the expat life in Dubai for allowing people to enjoy their riches, in contrast to Britain where she says ‘billionaires dress in Marks & Spencer’.
Caroline, brought up in Dorset, has celebrated Dubai encouraging people to flaunt their luxury fashion wear – comparing it to British billionaires ‘dressed in Marks and Spencer’
Caroline Stanbury and Sergio Carrallo married in Mauritius in November 2021
Caroline appeared in the BBC2 documentary series Inside Dubai in 2022, having also featured on reality shows Ladies Of London and The Real Housewives Of Dubai
Caroline told BBC2 documentary series Inside Dubai in 2022: ‘In Britain we’re taught that if you have money you shouldn’t show it.
‘You’re meant to turn your lights off at 7pm and share a bath with your family – here you turn all your lights on and you put all your jewellery on at once.
‘Any British billionaire is dressed in Marks & Spencer, that’s just what we do – here, they wear Dolce & Gabbana and so do their children.
‘They’re doing something right the rest of the world hasn’t cottoned on to.’