Upto DH1M fine for fake WhatsApp messages

abu dhabi — The Abu Dhabi Police have warned the public about fraudulent messages on social media, which imitate trademarks and trusted websites, with the aim of stealing personal information.

The police also urged the public to report these crimes to the police, to track and catch the criminals, who steal vital information such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers and others from social media users.

The Security Information Administration of the Commandship Affairs Sector stated that through information received by the ‘Aman’ service, they were able to track complex telephone fraud operations.

Fraudsters were able to hack into their victims’ WhatsApp accounts after requesting an activation code through SMS or over the phone. They further used the accounts in other fraud operations with other suspects, by claiming that they won prizes.

The administration urged social media users to secure their

250K dirhams is the minimum fine for cyber crimes

accounts, so they cannot be used in electronic crimes while highlighting the steps to secure their accounts, especially WhatsApp.

The Cyber Crime Law will punish anyone who steals money or information by fraudulently using a false name or misrepresentation through a computer network, electronic information system or information technology device. The penalty is imprisonment for between one year and three years and a fine of between Dh250,000 and Dh1 million.

The Federal Penal Code also punishes traditional “non-electronic” fraud crimes with imprisonment of between one to three months or a fine of between Dh1,000 and Dh30,000.