Man detained for creating fake govt website

dubai — The Dubai Police have arrested an Arab man for creating a fake Dubai government website.

The man was promoting his fake web portal on social media targeting people applying for residence visas in the UAE in exchange of large sums of cash.

Brigadier Salem Al Rumaithi, director of the criminal investigation department at the Dubai Police, said the police received reliable information about the operations of a counterfeit page with a link with the General Department for Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) in Dubai.

“The police, under cover, got in touch with the suspect to avail of his service and agreed upon the cash and delivery of required documents. He was then arrested and found to be an employee of a company dealing with PR services and clearing transactions. As he had to find new clients, he used social media claiming to be a government employee, and took advantage of the reputation of those bodies,” said Brigadier Rumaithi. The website was closed down by the police and the suspect was referred to the Dubai Public Prosecution.

On his part, Colonel Saeed Al Hajri, director of the cybercrime department, said the accused was offering victims two years’ residency in the UAE for Dh20,000 and three years for Dh30,000.

“He requested important documents such as passports and birth certificates to complete transactions and prove legitimate,” said Col Al Hajri.

Brigadier Rumaithi warned the public of the danger of sending documents to unverified sources as it can be used for exploitation.

amira@khaleejtimes.com