DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – The mother of a U.S. schoolteacher says her son has been arrested while transiting through the United Arab Emirates after someone fraudulently used his name to take out nearly $90,000 in loans in the Gulf Arab country.
Carolyn Novak of Kansas City, Missouri, told The Associated Press that her 31-year-old son Matthew Novak was detained Saturday at the Abu Dhabi International Airport during a layover while traveling from Thailand to Egypt. She says authorities arrested him over seven loans taken out in his name at several banks in the country.
Novak says her son lost his passport in 2010 and someone likely used it to take out the fraudulent loans.
Emirati officials declined to comment Thursday. The U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi did not respond to a request for comment.