Dubai
I also got conned by this artist in Dubai! I've done quite a lot of research on the web and found out a lot about it!
It's not 1 person operating alone, there's a gang of 20 to 30 people operating this scam in the UAE for the past 6 years (members of the Mafia). They are originally from Naples, holding fake identities/addresses and they've been searched internationally as they have criminal history in other countries where the scam reached higher levels. They remain in the UAE due to a lack of extradition treaties. This is just one of the many italian organized crimes that have been operated globally.

Organized Crime is nowdays the biggest business in Italy according to the Confesercenti authoritative report, it takes about $250 million/ day from retailers and businessmen. The UAE is an important crossroads for business, and as result, also for crime. These gangs normally mantain legitime business holdings worldwide that are offen used as a cover for their criminal operations.

Be aware of this scam! His name was Gaetano which is associated to a range of other scams worldwide. These people are extremely skilled and enjoy taking honest money from others! The best artists wear suit and tie, and the funny thing is that I recently saw the same guy on a maserati!

CHECK OUT THESE LINKS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aSSzZv5d60

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCYtpaO6MMA&feature=relmfu