UAE police will fine for the distribution of fraudulent messages in instant messengers. The size of the fine can reach up to 1 million dirhams.
The UAE authorities intend to fine fraudsters who send various messages to users of mobile instant messengers, which, in one way or another, are aimed at extorting money.
Abu Dhabi police warned citizens about the distribution of instant messengers, in particular WhatsApp, fraudulent messages that mimic trademarks and original websites, the purpose of which is to steal personal information such as login, password, credit card number, etc. Messages this kind of user can cause a number of problems. The police urged citizens to report such crimes to the police so that law enforcement could track and catch the criminals.
Using the data received from the Aman service, police officers manage to track complex fraudulent transactions from the phone when attackers steal WhatsApp accounts, using them to obtain an activation code via SMS. Also, scammers call their victims by phone, telling them that they allegedly won a prize, trying to find out a code from citizens to commit new scams.
Authorities urged users to protect their accounts so that fraudsters could not use them to commit cybercrime. The police made a series of recommendations for protecting their WhatsApp accounts. Particularly, authorities urged users not to click on links from unknown persons and not to disclose personal data to untrusted websites.
Despite the fact that such types of fraud are becoming more sophisticated, the authorities track criminals on the network and are actively fighting, including offers of fake jobs in specific companies aimed at extorting money.
The Law on Cybercrime provides liability for all persons who misappropriate money illegally by distributing false information under the fake name on the network. As a punishment measure, the law establishes imprisonment for a term of one year to three years and a fine of 250 thousand to 1 million dirhams.
The Federal Criminal Code also provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of one to three months, or a fine of 1 to 30 thousand dirhams for traditional "non-electronic" fraud.
