Preying on trust of the people

Abu Dhabi police have warned that confidence tricksters seem to be on the increase. The tricksters claim to be CID (plainclothes) officers and ask people to produce identification.

Most people keep their work permit or driving licence in their wallet and once it is produced, it is snatched from the owner and the trickster runs away. Or the fake policeman will open the wallet, surreptitiously take any money, hand the wallet back and walk away. It is only later the victim will find he has been robbed, not having suspected the trickster.

These confidence tricksters are not a new phenomenon is the UAE. They have been operating in major cities for some time. They tend to prey on those who would appear to be less aware of their rights, or unlikely to argue with or challenge authority.

Yet every person, when challenged by someone claiming to be a member of police, in or out of uniform, or a member of the CID or a similar plain clothes section, is entitled to challenge them and ask to see their identification. And proper sight, too, not a quick pass in front of your eyes so you cannot read it.