UAE | General
Fraudsters stealing identity of unsuspecting users
International fraudsters wishing to exploit internet users for purposes of identity theft are becoming savvy in targeting UAE residents, and etisalat subscribers have become the latest target.
- By Abbas Al Lawati, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:56 October 22, 2008
Dubai: International fraudsters wishing to exploit internet users for purposes of identity theft are becoming savvy in targeting UAE residents, and etisalat subscribers have become the latest target.
Having familiarised themselves with UAE companies and their brands, Internet fraudsters known as "phishers", that pose as banks, credit card and phone companies to extract customers' personal information, have started to target UAE internet users.
Etisalat has recently sent its subscribers warning emails about attempts by phishers to target its subscribers. Fraudsters in this case had sent email to etisalat subscribers' eim.ae addresses masquerading as the telecom company in order to extract personal information.
Dr Fadi Aloul, Assistant Professor of Computer Engineering at the American University of Sharjah, said there is not enough awareness among UAE residents about the dangers of phishing, which is a cause for concern as attacks are on the rise.
Spreading awareness, he said, is the combined responsibility of private and government institutions including banks, telecoms operators and law enforcement authorities.
He added however that the UAE was the first Gulf Arab country to introduce "sufficient laws" to deal with such crimes, but questioned the awareness judges had in online crimes while adjudicating such cases.
Phishers targeting UAE residents is not a new phenomenon however. Ahmad Ali, a media executive, said he almost became a victim two years ago when he first moved to Dubai.
"I was looking for a car and saw a classifieds advertisement for a Nissan Pathfinder. The price was listed in UAE dirhams and was relatively cheap. I emailed the seller who said that I'd have to buy the car online," he said.
Ali discovered the phishing attempt when he received what appeared to be a payment request from online service PayPal.
"It looked real but had a payment link on a different site," he said. "It turned out that the seller was in Romania, but said he just moved there from the UAE. He knew everything about the country and even told me where he lived."
Help steps
Don't be fooled
How to avoid becoming a victim of phishing
If you receive an email claiming to be from your bank, phone company or from any company asking for personal information, take the following precautions:
- Check the email address it comes from:
Phishers trying to pose as a company are unlikely to send email from the company's official email address. For example, someone posing as Etisalat is likely to send the email from a non-etisalat account, such as free email services like yahoo or gmail.
- Check for external links:
Phishing emails often require you to click a link to make a payment or enter personal details. Check where these links take you. They are likely to be pages on third party web sites (not the company's domain) that are made to look like the company's web site
- Check phone numbers provided:
Phishers will include customer support phone numbers to appear legitimate. Check these numbers. If they are in countries the company is not known to have operations, it could be a case of phishing.
- A.A.L
Share this article
Popular in UAE
-
Have your say
Living in untidy homes
Do you think that people who live in untidy homes have bad character?
Latest news
- HAAD action against doctor who sold sick leaves
- Napolitano warns against anti-Muslim backlash
- Fog sweeps the UAE
- Emirati students in US set to rise
- No friends of mother Earth
- Tussle on for tertiary students
- Faded parking lines pose a problem
- UAE to announce H1N1 vaccination campaign
- Focus on best methods of crime investigation
- Benefits of pill-sized camera displayed
- Prosecutions need to adopt new technologies
- Big decline in robberies in Dubai
- Ministry to shut down typing centres
- Car stickers to identify new drivers on road
- So what will it take to float Gulf News' boat?
Community Reports
-
Faded parking lines pose a problem
Motorists could be fined for parking incorrectly even though they can hardly see the boundaries in the designated areas
-
School buses block residential parking
Commercial vehicles taking up free parking facilities in Al Wuheida, inconveniencing residents in surrounding villas
-
Community report: Doing their bit for poor children
A group of students takes concrete action to raise funds for Dubai Cares
-
Surprising truth of 'abandoned cars'
An Abu Dhabi resident believes that some mechanics are using parking spaces as rent-free workshops
