Two men were arrested in Sharjah over cybercrimes that swindled people out of more than Dh3 million ($816,880).
The pair, of African origin, were able to scam victims by gaining access to 173 different local bank accounts.
These bank accounts belong to former UAE residents who had sold access to their accounts to the criminals.
The case, referred to as Case 173 due to the number of bank accounts involved, remains under investigation.
A third suspect is still on the run with Dubai Police working with their counterparts in Sharjah to secure his arrest.
Sharjah Police’s Criminal Investigations Department initially received a report from a man scammed out of nearly Dh85,000.
“The man received an email to update his information and clicked a link, resulting in nearly Dh85,000 being withdrawn from his bank account,” said Brig Omar Ahmed Abu Al Zoud, director of the Criminal Investigations Department at Sharjah Police.
Following up on this report, investigations revealed that the money was transferred to a bank account inside the country.
The account's activity was kept under surveillance after police officers noted multiple cash withdrawals.
This led to identifying the two suspects and locating their residence. The men were arrested in Sharjah last week.
A large haul
Officers seized a little more than Dh95,000 in cash from the two suspects.
Bank cards from 173 local bank accounts used in fraud incidents were found in their possession.
“These bank accounts, their cards, and card passcodes, were purchased by another two Asian suspects who run the crime from outside the country,” said the Brigadier.
“This is something new and worked as a lead for us, given that in most cases of electronic fraud that we deal with, the money is immediately transferred to bank accounts outside the country.”
Another 132 chequebooks, 21 mobile phones, 18 Emirates IDs, and six fake company stamps were also found with the suspects and confiscated.
Further investigations linked the suspects to 11 similar reports lodged across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Al Ain, with the value of money stolen in these reports exceeding Dh3 million.
One of the reports involves Dh690,000 being stolen and Dh600,000 in another.
“We are in contact with relevant authorities, including those in the security and banking sectors, to find out the overall amount of money in these accounts and its movement.”
He said they face challenges posed by an increase in electronic cases.
“More than 260 cases of fake employment, which is one type of many electronic crimes, were recently dealt with,” said the brigadier.
He said the most recent case involved Dh300,000 being stolen from a woman, but officers were able to recover the amount.
“Through this woman’s case, we were able to identify other victims of the same suspect who scammed her, and we were able to recover money for some victims from other emirates.”
Most victims of cybercrime are aged between 20 and 40.
Chief of Sharjah Police said announcing the details of this case is not for show-off but to help spread more awareness given that more people are still falling victim to these crimes.
“We don’t aim to just share thrilling content of a case but rather expand security awareness in a community that has people from all walks of life,” said Major General Saif Al Zari Al Shamsi, the Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police.
“This is a crime that targets everyone, the young and old from all nationalities, and it’s an ever-evolving transnational crime,” he said.
Staff Sgt Nouf Alharmoodi, an information technology expert with Sharjah Police, said recently there have been four types of cybercrime that are most common.
“These include fake employments, fake websites, impersonating websites of public departments and authorities, and hacking,” she said.
Police will continue to warn people and raise awareness, but it’s the public’s responsibility to be more cautious, she said.
“People need to double-check the URL, which is the address of the online source, because criminals tend to change one letter here or there in the URL,” she said.
She urged people to avoid clicking any links received in emails and in text or WhatsApp messages before double-checking they are legitimate and from genuine sources.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
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About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
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