Dubai Police urge vigilance as AI fuels document forgery scams

Dubai Police have issued a warning over the growing misuse of artificial intelligence to forge official and unofficial documents; a trend increasingly linked to financial fraud and attempts to evade the law.

The alert was issued by the Anti-Fraud Centre at the General Department of Criminal Investigation, which urged institutions, companies and members of the public to exercise caution and verify documents received via email or social media.

As part of Dubai Police’s ongoing Beware of Fraud campaign, the centre stressed the importance of digital awareness across all segments of society. Fraudsters, it said, are exploiting rapid technological advances, including AI tools, to produce forged documents that may appear professionally written and well formatted at first glance.

However, specialists can often identify red flags, including inaccurate or inconsistent information, wording that does not match approved official templates, and the use of fake signatures or stamps.

Dubai Police advised the public not to rely solely on a document’s appearance. Verification should include checking the source, reviewing digital file details such as creation and modification dates, and confirming official reference numbers that can be traced.

The Anti-Fraud Centre stressed that using artificial intelligence for document forgery is a criminal offence punishable by law, adding that public awareness remains the first line of defence against fraud.

Anyone who suspects a fraud attempt is urged to report it immediately through the Dubai Police smart app, by calling 901, or via the eCrime platform dedicated to reporting cybercrimes.

Strict legal penalties

Dubai Police highlighted that UAE law imposes strict penalties on document forgery. Under Article 252 of Federal Decree Law No. 31 of 2021 on Crimes and Penalties, forging an official document is punishable by temporary imprisonment of up to 10 years, while forging an unofficial document carries a prison sentence.

Article 253 further stipulates that forging and using a copy of an official document, or knowingly using a forged copy, is punishable by temporary imprisonment of up to five years. If the offence relates to an unofficial document, the penalty is imprisonment.

Electronic document forgery

With regard to electronic documents, Article 14 of Federal Decree Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combating Rumours and Cybercrimes states that forging an electronic document belonging to a federal or local government entity, or a public authority or institution, is punishable by temporary imprisonment and a fine ranging from Dh150,000 to Dh750,000.

If the forged electronic document is issued by other entities, the penalty is imprisonment and a fine ranging from Dh100,000 to Dh300,000, or either penalty. The same sanctions apply to anyone who knowingly uses a forged electronic document.