UAE warns against electronic begging and fundraising fraud

ABU DHABI: The UAE Government Cyber Security Council called on community members to be cautious and vigilant against electronic begging and fraudulent fundraising campaigns via the Internet and social media sites, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

The Cyber Security Council stressed the importance of cyber awareness about charitable works such as aid, donations, charity, and zakat, with the aim of preserving donors’ money and facilitating its delivery to those who deserve it through safe and reliable methods.

The Cyber Security Council explained that to ensure that donations reach those who deserve them and to protect donors’ funds, avoid responding to donation requests that come to you through social media plaforms, in addition to donating only through the competent authorities licensed by the relevant authorities in the country, in addition to not sharing credit or bank card numbers with anyone.

The Cyber Security Council said that with the increasing risks of cyber atacks, especially phishing atacks, enhancing cyber awareness has become an important mater for all members of society to protect themselves from the dangers of potential phishing atacks and to know and how to avoid falling victim to them.

The Council identified 5 tips to avoid phishing messages and how to identify electronic phishing atacks, which would enhance the digital security of community members, protect their personal information from thet, and confront cyber dangers.

Advice includes the importance of checking the official social media channels of the company or the competent authority, being wary of exaggerated offers, such as imaginary deals or impossible prices, paying atention to brand elements, as unclear logos or images may indicate a fraudulent operation, and making sure that banks do not and will not request information about credit cards and personal accounts via email or text messages, and finally verify the identity of the callers before answering the calls, as companies in the UAE are required to have a caller ID.

The Cyber Security Council noted that with the rapid technological progress and the widespread use of e-mail in various aspects of daily life, fears are increasing about the dangers of fraudulent messages aimed at stealing sensitive data.

Therefore, it is necessary to be aware of these risks and understand them well in order to protect oneself and not fall victim to cyber fraud.

The Council reviewed a scenario of phishing emails, which amount to 3.4 billion unsolicited mail messages sent daily worldwide, explaining that phishing messages may appear to the victim as fraudsters claiming to be a shipping company with a request to update the address to deliver the package and bearing the tag “Happened Now,” in addition to requesting to reactivate the account on social media plaforms before stopping it and bearing the sign “Reactivate Now”, in addition to requesting urgent confirmation of the bank account information to complete the service and bearing the sign “Enter Your Data,” in addition to requesting personal information and the bank card number and bearing the sign “Send,” which will contribute to facilitating the hacking of the personal account and falling victim to electronic fraud.

On the other hand, the security teams at the Dubai Police have arrested 202 beggars during the first half of the holy month of Ramadan. The Dubai Police General Command, in collaboration with esteemed partners such as the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs-dubai (GDRFA), Dubai Municipality, and the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai IACAD, has successfully launched the “Fight Begging” campaign. The campaign is aimed at raising awareness about the significance of preserving the country’s civilized image by effectively combating and preventing the crime of begging.

Brig Ali Salem Al Shamsi, Director of Suspects and Criminal Phenomena Department at the Dubai Police, pointed out that the department successfully launched a campaign in cooperation with strategic partners to curb the phenomenon of begging. Strict and decisive measures were taken against the beggars who were seized, he added, noting that the campaign resulted in arresting 202 beggars, including 112 males and 90 females during the first half of Ramadan.

The majority of those arrested are on visit visas, while others are residents offending the residency law and taking advantage of the holy month to make a quick profit. Legal measures have been taken against them once they are caught, Brig. Al Shamsi added.

“Begging is illegal and punishable by law. Society can help curb begging by donating to charitable organizations and ensuring that the money reaches the poor and needy. This will prevent the spread of crimes commited by beggars under the guise of begging,” he said.

To combat begging effectively, Ali Al Shamsi urged the public to refrain from responding to beggars or feeling pity for their appearance. Instead, he encouraged them to report any beggars they spot to the police authorities through the call centre (901), the ‘Police Eye’ service on the Dubai Police smart application, or the E-crime plaform.