Dubai Police urges public members to\nremain vigilant when using social media platforms and not provide anonymous or\nsuspicious accounts with personal and sensitive information, including pictures\nand videos, as cyber blackmailers may exploit these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Force has also advised social media\nusers to be cautious when browsing the internet and refrain from visiting\nsuspicious websites to avoid falling prey to cybercriminals and online\nscammers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brig. Abdullah Khadem Bin Suroor,\nDirector of Bur Dubai Police Station and Chairman of the Police Stations\nDirectors Council, said that the Bur Dubai Police Station responded to a report\nthey had received through the Smart Police Station (SPS) on a man who blackmailed\na girl he had connected with on social media platform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“After earning the girl’s trust, the\nsuspect used photos and videos she had sent to blackmail her”\n“However, Dubai Police intervened in time and arrested the man within 24\nhours from receiving the report”, Brig. Bin Suroor said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He explained that cyber extortion is an\nemerging form of cybercrime where cybercriminals blackmail victims and threaten\nthem to publish private pictures, videos and confidential information in return\nfor some money or to force them to carry out illegal acts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The director of Bur Dubai Police Station\nurged parents to follow up on their children and educate them not to accept\nfriend requests or build friendships with strangers. “Parents must teach\nchildren on the dangers of sharing their photos and information through\nwebsites, social media platforms and electronic games, as well as guide them on\nhow to act when they fall into the trap of extortion”, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brig. Bin Suroor explained that\nextortion is in several manners. “The most prominent method is to lure\npeople using fake accounts on social media platforms to share their photos and\nvideos with extorters who would later use this private information to blackmail\ntheir victims”, he added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He called upon community members to\nignore friend requests from unknown people on social media platforms and not\nestablish video calls with strangers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n