Dubai: Dubai Police have urged victims of online extortion to waste no time in reporting the incidents to authorities as any degree of hesitation only encourages scamsters to target more victims.
Statistics of Dubai Police reveal 83 cases of electronic extortion this year compared to 87 cases recorded last year and 80 cases in 2015.
Lt-Colonel Mohammad Aqeel Ahli, deputy director of Criminal Investigation Department, said online extortion has not reached worrying levels, considering the number of people using social media networks in the UAE.
“We have managed to control the problem this year. It is not a worrying crime but we aim to educate users on the risks and consequences of careless internet use. We also aim to raise awareness among people to be more cautious while sharing data on the web and social media due to the remarkable growth and development of online space locally and internationally,” Lt-Col Ahli said during a press conference on Wednesday at Dubai Police headquarters.
Police said the rise in the number of people using social media networks is an opportunity for unscrupulous individuals to take advantage, violate people’s privacy and use their personal data and pictures for illegal financial gain.
Dubai Police launched a campaign to educate people in collaboration with local telecom companies and schools as incidents of extortion among teenage students has also come to light.
“Most extortion cases happened to people aged between 26 and 36 years, but we had a few incidents of extortion of teenagers too. Parents and schools are our tools to fight this crime as they can educate children and students,” Lt-Col Ahli added.
Dubai Police said this year, they shut down about 10,000 websites and accounts used for electronic extortion and other online crimes.
Major Dr Saud Al Khaldi of the Cyber Crime Department, Dubai Police, said the best form of prevention is to avoid talking to strangers on social media.
“Parents must educate their children to not engage with strangers on social networks. If people observe this rule, all electronic extortion cases will vanish,” Major Al Khaldi said.
Police said both men and women fall victims of extortion as suspects contact them and lure them into sharing private or inappropriate material and then ask for money to avoid a scandal.
“The suspects can make contact visually using different apps and record the victim in inappropriate ways and then ask for money. If a person is a victim, he should contact us,” he added.
Meanwhile, women have been urged to be cautious while using dating or marriage websites as these are convenient platforms for suspects to obtain their details and personal pictures.
Dubai Police will use social media networks to promote the campaign via videos and posts and offer lectures in schools and universities on electronic extortion.
Police will also cooperate with sport clubs in Dubai to educate young players.
The law
According to the UAE’s Cyber Crime Law, anyone who uses the internet to blackmail a victim can be jailed for up to 10 years.
How to safeguard yourself from electronic extortion
Do not accept friend request from strangers
Do not click on suspicious links
Do not pay any amount of money to strangers befriending you
Don’t show interest or weakness [in any schemes or offers]
Block the suspects and avoid communicating with them even if they provoke you and use threats
Inform the police and keep the threatening emails as evidence
Don’t share your personal details, address or phone numbers on social media networks
