Abu Dhabi Police alert public against online scams

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Police have cautioned the public against online scams.

The warning came after a 42-year-old expatriate resident filed a complaint with the Abu Dhabi Police that she was a victim of a con scheme by a foreigner who made her believe that he loved her and wanted to marry her.

Hence she transferred Dh110,000 to him, said Colonel Rashid Bu Rasheed, Head of the Organised Crime at the Abu Dhabi Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The woman, who works as a secretary for a private company, knew the fraudster through a match-making website that is dedicated to helping single men and women find spouses.

Sympathy

She said that she was the victim of a professional scammer, who used to call her and send her SMS messages, claiming that he loved her and wanted to marry her to help him raise his son, whose mother had died during labour.

"Fraudsters use different tricky ways to lure their victims and sometimes resort to other fraudulent attempts to get the sympathy of others in order to make them believe him and send them the money they ask for," Col Bu Rasheed said.

The department has received many reports on various types of online fraud schemes involving telephone calls, emails and SMS messages, and warned the public against online scams.

The Security Information Department at the General Secretariat of the Interior Minister's Office earlier launched a campaign to raise awareness among the public by advising them not to fall victim to fraudsters who use telephone calls, emails and SMS messages to con people.

Under the Federal Penal Code, anyone convicted of using fraudulent methods to deceive others and misappropriate money for himself or on behalf of others will be punished by imprisonment or fine. Anyone convicted of a cyber crime will be jailed for not less than one year and/or fined Dh30,000.