Dubai: Residents have been warned against bogus job advertisements or humanitarian aid requests received on their BlackBerry Messenger (BBM).
Dubai Police’s Al Ameen service issued the warning on Sunday, after noticing a number of violations related to the use of BBM.
The service is not used by serious employers, Al Ameen said, adding that some misuse the system by sending advertisements about available positions in government bodies or private companies or offering humanitarian aid for those in need without any reference to an official source behind the offer or advertisement.
Some users who wish to exploit the naivety of others set up a personal email address to receive requests and curriculum vitae of applicants, but the main purpose behind this is acquiring the addresses of women with the aim of exploiting their need for work or need of financial assistance.
Al Ameen urged all nationals and residents not to respond to these advertisements and not to send their curriculum vitae or personal information to others who fail to provide an official identification of their companies or organisations.
Anyone looking for a job or humanitarian aid should go directly to government bodies or companies to apply for a job, or head towards licensed and registered charitable organisations whether to offer donation or if in need of financial aid .
Any electronic communication with an unknown party should be done after careful consideration and verification of credentials, Al Ameen said.
The service reminded the public that police assistance can be reached in confidentiality round the clock in case of suspicion of any illegal activity.
Al Ameen service can be reached on hotline 8004999, fax 04-2097777, SMS 4444, website wwww.alameen.ae, BBM 21DDBB0 and Twitter account @alameenservice.
