Ramadan beggars are taking scams online, police warn

DUBAI // Police have started their Ramadan clampdown on street beggars and warned about scammers using social media and emails to prey on people’s good nature.

Zakat, the donation of a percentage of savings to charity or the needy, is mandatory for Muslims during Ramadan, and the number of people asking passers-by for money outside mosques or malls is increasing.

Some beggars fly into the country for the holy month. So far this Ramadan, 207 people have been arrested in Abu Dhabi for begging.

While police are able to monitor the streets there are concerns that people are being tricked into handing over cash in online scams instead of giving to official charities and welfare groups.

Spam emails claiming to be from needy people or charities and WhatsApp messages showing distressing scenes often of children in war zones or refugee camps, increase at this time of year.

“Approaching internet users to beg is against the law,” said Col Rashed Boursheid, director of Abu Dhabi CID, who urged the public to ignore such requests.

Maj Gen Khalil Al Mansouri, assistant to Dubai Police’s Chief for Criminal Investigation, said that, as patrols were increased to monitor areas popular with beggars, the con men simply turned to the internet to avoid being picked up.

“They use websites and social media to trick people and ask for money, claiming they need humanitarian help,” said Maj Gen Al Mansouri.

“The police are exerting significant efforts to combat this social affliction through campaigns and awareness initiatives designed to eradicate anti-social behaviour.”

Col Boursheid said it was easy for fraudsters to send out begging emails. People who reply and send money have no way of knowing where their cash has gone or what it has been used for.

“Other scams target young people looking for love and ask them to send money to an unidentified ‘girl’ who then depletes their savings,” said Col Boursheid.

Maj Gen Al Mansouri said his officers had investigated several cases of online fraudsters extorting money from residents.

A woman from a Gulf country was scammed out of Dh200,000 that she thought was going to help children living in a refugee camp in another Arab country.

The victim was encouraged to send money after receiving videos of children suffering in cold weather without food or shelter.

She only noticed she had been tricked after receiving more videos taken in different countries, said Lt Col Salem bin Salmeen, deputy director of Dubai Police’s Cyber Crimes Department.

“We call on the public not to send money to any person they do not know,” Lt Col bin Salmeen said. “People should donate to charity in the UAE only through authorised parties.”

A list of licensed charities in Dubai can be found on the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Department website, iacad.gov.ae.

nalramahi@thenational.ae