Police in Abu Dhabi have recovered Dh140 million ($38 million) taken by online fraudsters over the past two years and returned the money to the victims of the scams.
The move follows investigations into more than 15,640 cases of cyber crimes, the force told a press conference on Wednesday.
One common scam involved people being offered deals for cheap gold, which turned out to be phoney after victims had parted with their money. In another case, police said criminals were pretending to be government employees, claiming they required access to personal banking details.
“We received 15,642 cases related to online fraud and we managed to recover Dh140 million to the victims in last two years,” said Lt Col Ahmed Al Shamsi of Abu Dhabi Police.
He said scammers posing as officials said they were installing software to get access to people’s personal devices, such as phones and laptops.
Lt Col Al Shamsi said another trend involved tricking people who were looking to buy or rent a home. Criminals “pose as representatives of the real owner of the property, or developer, and scam the victim into paying a deposit to book the unit. Always verify and check through official channels,” he warned the public.
New campaign
The press conference was held to announce the launch of the force's annual Be Careful campaign to raise awareness of cybercrime.
Lt Col Ali Al Nuaimi, director of cybercrime division at Abu Dhabi Police, said the campaign will focus on fake links that scammers send by text message, email or on social media.
He warned people to be vigilant when clicking on links and to ensure they have the .ae suffix.
“With the increase of gold prices, scammers posted ads online for cheap prices or special discounts," Lt Col Al Nuaimi added. "Victims fall for this trick and pay money thinking they are buying gold at discounted prices.”
In another recent case, a scammer from overseas lured a resident into paying a Dh1,500 deposit to book a chalet at a discount price. Police said the perpetrator sent a payment link and convinced the victim to pass on her Emirates ID to confirm the booking.
Lt Col Al Nuaimi said the scammer was part of an organised gang who used the woman’s details to open bank accounts. “The gang used these bank accounts to scam others,” he said.
The gang also used social media to sell unique car registration plate numbers, properties and even sheep.
Brig Rashid Al Dhaheri, director of the Criminal Investigation Directorate, said the campaign will last until end of the year.
“It is an annual campaign and is part of the force’s strategy to boost the security awareness among the public,” he said. “Cyber crime is a challenge for communities globally and we are looking to educate the community about the recent trends of online fraud. The campaign will focus on youngsters, blue-collar and domestic workers as they are the main target for scammers.”
Abu Dhabi police urged the public to be vigilant and report suspected online scams immediately, either by visiting their nearest police station or by calling the Aman service on 800 2626 or sending a text message to 2828.
