Abu Dhabi: Sitting behind a laptop screen, many users of electronic data feel protected from scams and thefts, but this false sense of security makes them prone to a vast array of online thefts and scams, senior security officials warned in the capital on Tuesday.
This is why the focus of the upcoming International Exhibition for Security and National Resilience (ISNR), and its concurrent events, will be tackling cyber crime.
“Online criminals can sit in one continent and target a user in another, or use a computer in another continent to steal from a user in a third continent. This kind of crime surpasses borders, and the lack of general awareness about these risks makes users even more inclined to fall for scams or suffer from data loss,” Lieutenant Colonel Faisal Al Shammari, director of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) Child Protection Centre, told Gulf News.
As Gulf News reported earlier, a January 2013 Ministry of Interior publication pegged the cost of online fraud to UAE residents at more than Dh1 billion from September 2011 to September 2012. Between September 2010 and September 2011, this figure was Dh2.3 billion, according to security software developer Norton. The UAE also has more than 3 million internet users.
“We will therefore share expertise on all the latest technologies to reduce online fraud and criminal activity, as well as seek to create awareness among users,” Lt Col Al Shammari said.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a press conference held to announce the details of ISNR, which will run from April 1 to 3 in the capital. The biannual conference will this year span 27,000 square metres, with 400 companies from 40 countries displaying the latest security and surveillance technologies.
The exhibition will be divided into specific sections, including areas for homeland security and resilience, information security, critical infrastructure and protection, fire and emergencies, and occupational health and safety. Concurrent forums will also be held to discuss security challenges, cyber crime and occupational safety.
The ISNR will also feature an indoor show that simulates an emergency, and displays how emergency personnel respond to it. In addition, a firefighter challenge will have 150 participants demonstrate their skills in an intensive session, and will include 25 female firefighters, of whom four are from the UAE.
Major General Dr Obaid Al Ketbi, chairman of the higher organising committee of the ISNR, said that the event will serve as a crucial platform for the exchange of experiences in the fields of safety, security and emergency response. It is being organised by the MoI, in partnership with Reed Exhibitions.
