Cyber blackmailers on the prowl in UAE

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) With rapid development of smart technology more and more people of various ages in the UAE are falling victims to cyber blackmailing. The illegal practice raises concerns among the public as well as authorities which are taking great efforts to curb it.

In many cases abusers of both sex prompt their young victims into sex chats or sharing images and then threaten them saying the pictures would be circulated among their family and friends on social media. Then they start demanding money continuously to which the victims unwillingly comply with fearing disgrace for the family. However some of the victims report the cases to the police.

According to Khalil Al Ali senior officer at Al Ameen Services the issue of cyber blackmailing has increased with the increase in the influence of social media. There are other cyber crimes as cyber theft phishing and many more. However cyber blackmailing cases are increasing every year with the Dubai Police already registering 13 cases in the first quarter of 2016.

Dubai Police's Cyber Investigation Department handled 1820 cyber crimes in 2015 registering an increase of 239 crimes. Majority of the cases were cyber blackmailing cases. In Sharjah the number of blackmailing cases reported in 2015 is 120.

In Ajman only four cyber blackmailing cases were reported in 2014 against 17 cases in 2015. In the first quarter of this year three cases have already been reported.

Recent statistics from Al Ameen Services showed that on an average 1.5 person is blackmailed every day in the UAE. While 450 cases are recorded in the AGCC countries many of those cases show involvement of organised criminal gangs.

Khalil Al Ali said a gang of three persons who used porn films to lure people into their trap managed to fish out Dh170000 from a GCC national. He sited a case where a cyber blackmailing victim committed suicide in Morocco and said in many cases family members of the victims are also threatened. In different GCC countries 22 women fell victim to the gang he said.

Khalil Al Ali stressed that no website is completely secured and urged the public to be careful while using social media websites. Around 200000 illicit pictures were hacked from the SnapChat application he added.

What police say

Lt-Col Saeed Al Hajiri Director of the Cyber Investigation Department at Dubai Police said that most of the cases registered in Dubai were cases of sexual or financial blackmail and duping firms.

He pointed out that cyber crimes in Dubai registered an increase of almost 23 per cent in 2015.

"As the use of modern technology spreads among more people there is an increase in cyber crimes too. However the department has been taking all preventive measures using innovative methods."

A top official at the Sharjah Police defined the cyber blackmailing as an act of threat to share information about a person to the public their friends or family unless a demand for money is met. "These types of cyber crimes can be committed against individuals companies and governments and often involve financial gain sexual exploitation and defamation."

What the law says?

Salem Khalifa Al Ghafli from Ajman prosecution explained the punishments for blackmailers laid out in Federal Law No 5 of 2012.One can get jail for a maximum of two years and a fine ranging from Dh250000 to Dh500000 or either of the two.The punishment is imprisonment up to 10 years if the subject [commits] a felony or engages in matters against honour or morals" Al Ghafli said.

He said according to the statistics in the blackmailing cases or sexual exploitation against women most of the accused are under 25 years of age. "The local blackmailers target women and men randomly for money or illicit relationships while the international ones target VIPs and businessmen to rapidly gain money."

In Ajman Dr Mohammed Al Suwaidi head of the community police at the Ajman Police said that blackmailers exploit the victims and take as much from them because they know that victims would not report the matter to police. He explained that as per the law the offenders who misuse the Internet for blackmailing could get an imprisonment of up to ten years and a fine up to Dh250000.

He urged victims to report the crimes in order to help the authority combat it and send the offenders to justices.

Curbing the crime

Police authorities in all the emirates have launched awareness campaigns on how to avoid being victimised by cyber blackmailers. The authorities have urged the public to report any kind of blackmailing cases as they would be handled confidentially.

The General Authority for Regulating the Telecommunications Sector (TRA) recently launched a new campaign aimed at promoting awareness on cyber blackmailing in collaboration with Al Ameen Services. The campaign is aimed at educating the public on the risks and consequences caused by careless Internet use. The campaign also urges people to be more cautious while sharing data on the web and social media. It warns that the advancement in technology could be an opportunity for unscrupulous users to harm other people violate their privacy and use their personal data and pictures to obtain financial gain.

Hamad Obaid Al Mansouri TRA Director-General said the authority has launched this campaign to educate people about the dangers of cyber blackmailing. "The campaign will focus on students in secondary schools public and private universities and their parents so they stay alert and protected from being victims to these kinds of threats. The campaign will also include conducting surveys on victims to figure out the circumstances and reasons behind this phenomenon to enable the concerned parties to develop an appropriate and well-defined policy to control it and limit its effects" he said.

Tips on how to stay safe online

Anti-cyber crimes sections of police and TRA provide tips to prevent crime

> Do not send any sort of inappropriate pictures to anyone. You never know where it may end up even if you think you know the person really well.

> If you're being blackmailed or threatened tell someone you trust. It doesn't matter how embarrassing it is or if you've done something you wish you hadn't.

> Collect the evidence.

> Keep the threatening emails and mes-sages> Immediately report such cases to the police.

> Don't post personal information like your address email ID or mobile number online.

> Never let anyone have access to your passwords. Check the privacy settings on accounts like Facebook/Twitter and make sure you know how to keep your personal information private.

> Change passwords regularly.

> Think very carefully before posting photos of yourself online. Once your picture is online anyone can download it and share it or even change it.

> Never respond or retaliate to negative posts.

> Block any users who send you nasty messages on social media sites.

> Don't open emails or attachments from people you don't trust as they could contain virus or unwanted messages.

> Block spam emails and delete them.

> Don't accept friendship requests from people you don't know> Don't send any money to anyone under any threat

> Be careful of dating sites and applications as they are the hub for hunting victims.