UAE BARQ برق الإمارات – نبضك
Dubai Police urges public members to remain vigilant when using social media platforms and not provide anonymous or suspicious accounts with personal and sensitive information, including pictures and videos, as cyber blackmailers may exploit these.
The Force has also advised social media users to be cautious when browsing the internet and refrain from visiting suspicious websites to avoid falling prey to cybercriminals and online scammers.
Brig. Abdullah Khadem Bin Suroor, Director of Bur Dubai Police Station and Chairman of the Police Stations Directors Council, said that the Bur Dubai Police Station responded to a report they had received through the Smart Police Station (SPS) on a man who blackmailed a girl he had connected with on social media platform.
“After earning the girl’s trust, the suspect used photos and videos she had sent to blackmail her” “However, Dubai Police intervened in time and arrested the man within 24 hours from receiving the report”, Brig. Bin Suroor said.
He explained that cyber extortion is an emerging form of cybercrime where cybercriminals blackmail victims and threaten them to publish private pictures, videos and confidential information in return for some money or to force them to carry out illegal acts.
The director of Bur Dubai Police Station urged parents to follow up on their children and educate them not to accept friend requests or build friendships with strangers. “Parents must teach children on the dangers of sharing their photos and information through websites, social media platforms and electronic games, as well as guide them on how to act when they fall into the trap of extortion”, he added.
Brig. Bin Suroor explained that extortion is in several manners. “The most prominent method is to lure people using fake accounts on social media platforms to share their photos and videos with extorters who would later use this private information to blackmail their victims”, he added.
He called upon community members to ignore friend requests from unknown people on social media platforms and not establish video calls with strangers.
Brig. Bin Suroor urged all citizens and residents to report cybercriminals via the force’s platform www.ecrime.ae.Alternatively, public members can report such illegal activities to the nearest Smart Police Station (SPS) that operate 24/7 or call the toll-free number 901.
