A British woman in Dubai has been told she could face up to two years in prison and a fine of about $ 140,000 after she mentioned "dirty words" in a WhatsApp message to her roommate.

Under UAE law, guava faces cybercrime charges.

What was said in the messages?

She is accused of writing "F * ck you", after a debate about the use of the table where they eat food.

The 31-year-old woman admits to sending the message last October, but prosecutors have yet to bring a formal legal case. They are waiting for a report on the woman's phone, before the matter goes further.

The 31-year-old was arrested while trying to cross from Dubai to London, according to The Independent. She has since tried to contact her ex-roommate to resolve the situation, but her request was denied.

The British woman, who works as a human resources manager, told MailOnline that she has little money, and is afraid of losing her job.

Radha Stirling, CEO of a law firm in Dubai, has described the situation as a "nightmare".

In a press release, he said:

"The UAE has criminalized virtually every visitor to the country under their vague and poorly designed cybercrime laws. Today's news really hit the woman, who has never been in trouble in her life."

This is not the first time a foreign national has been arrested under the UAE's strict cybercrime laws.

In 2019, Laleh Shahravesh was arrested after allegedly calling her ex-husband's wife a "horse" on Facebook.

Source: Insider