120 held for conning men with false massage offer

abu dhabi — The Abu Dhabi Police have arrested 120 African men and women for allegedly offering massage services as a pretext to con men.

Brigadier Ahmed Saif bin Zaitoun Al Muhairi, director of the Metropolis Police directorate, warned the public against falling victims to the fake massage advertisements on social media, which lure men by showing pictures of European girls, downloaded from the Internet.

“The police launched a campaign after receiving information about the cases where some persons were assaulted, robbed or blackmailed,” he said. “Legal action was taken against the suspects for cheating the victims, offering illegal services using electronic media, and attacking and defrauding their customers.”

He appealed to the public to avoid falling prey to such tricks, and called on the victims to report any such incidents to the police immediately without hesitation.

The Security Information Department at the Abu Dhabi Police has released an awareness publication, warning the public against dealing with strangers through social media. The publication titled Security Flashes, elaborates how the gangs function.

It shows the experience of man, who was lured into a date with a ‘girl’. When he reaches the address given over phone, he was received by a woman different from the one whom he saw in the photo. He was then confronted by a number of African men and women, who assault ed him before taking his money and other valuable items. The gangs also blackmail victims not to report the incident to the police.

The police called on the victims to report such matters to Aman service, which deals with every complaint confidentially. People can contact the authorities on toll-free number 8002626 or by SMS to 2828.

reporters@khaleejtimes.com