Abu Dhabi Police warned the public not to trust unknown persons, via social media, provide them with data, information or personal photos that may be exploited in electronic extortion, avoid access to suspicious sites, be careful when dealing with strangers or unidentified persons, and do not accept contact with them and trust them or send private and sensitive photos or data.
It stressed that private photos and videos should not be posted on social networking sites, so as not to be hacked, hacked, captured, and used by the weak to blackmail their owners.
Electronic extortion was one of the forms of cybercrime that threatened the victim with the publication of photographs, film material or the leaking of confidential information, in exchange for payments or exploitation of the victim to carry out illegal acts on behalf of the blackmailers.
ADP urged parents to follow their children and educate them not to accept friendships by unknown people, and the seriousness of sharing their photos and data through websites, social networking and electronic games, and to educate them about how to act when falling into the trap of extortion.
It stressed the importance of the role of the media in educating young men and women not to publish their own family photos or videos in social media accounts or save them in their smart devices, where these devices or communication accounts can be hacked.
AD Police explained that the crimes of extortion are carried out in several ways, most notably attracting people by creating fake women's accounts on social media platforms with the aim of apparently getting to know each other and in the subconscious blackmail, and when acquainted with the camera broadcast and filming the victim in a situation of immorality.
It stressed that the fraudster after gaining the trust of the person works to request private selfies or make video calls with the victim, and the fraudster resorts to broadcast a video recording of the victim's illusion that it is a fact, to trap him into the trap of vice, and then records the call for use in extortion and then receiving the money through the transfer through banks or exchange shops or through the digital currency to avoid revealing their identity.
It added that although there was a law and punishment, this type of crime was on the rise because many were afraid to report it out of fear of scandal and shame, mostly because it was linked to the publication of images in dishonorable situations and immoral demands by blackmailers.
In the event of cyber-extortion, ADP urged that you should not submit to blackmailers, not to respond to their requests or send any money under threat pressure, and to communicate quickly with the 24-hour security service in complete confidentiality, on the toll-free number 8002626 (AMAN2626), by text message (2828), via email (aman@adpolice.gov.ae) or through the Smart App of The Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters.