Be careful what you post on social media: Police

dubai — The Al Ameen service of Dubai Police has urged UAE residents to be careful about what they say and do on social media.

The Al Ameen service is designed to make it easier for the public to report crimes – anonymously – 24 hours a day.

On Thursday, a representative of Al Ameen told Khaleej Times reporters at a briefing that the information that one publishes on social media can be used by criminals to gain information about potential victims.

“Be careful of what personal information you put online. On the Internet, nothing is private,” he said. “A criminal can just search on Google and get to all your accounts.”

Al Ameen has dealt with cases of individuals being duped into explicit relationships online and then blackmailed with improper pictures, as well as cases of thieves learning that homes are empty through social media before entering to rob the properties.

“In these cases, the first step was the Internet,” the representative noted.

To combat such cases, Al Ameen recommends that geo-locations be disabled and to never send money to anyone or surrender to blackmail.

Additionally, Al Ameen has warned UAE residents against retweeting rumours or insulting or defaming people on social media, which could lead to legal action.

To communicate with Al Ameen, residents can use the toll-free phone number 8004888, send an