UAE - The Dubai Police urged residents to be wary of scammers who impersonate important and famous personalities. In a tweet, authorities informed residents that these scamsters pose as famous personalities with the intention of defrauding unsuspecting users.

Dubai Police also shared a video showing residents how to report these fake accounts. In the video, which was shared across their various social media channels, the cops elaborated how the scammers often pretend to offer 'financial aid' to their victims. The same video also instructs users to take a screenshot of the fake account and send it to the Dubai Police's official social media handles.

Earlier this month, some 5,000 fake social media accounts were blocked in the UAE as part of Dubai Police's new awareness campaign against online fraud. The new drive, called 'Beware of False Accounts' was introduced under the patronage of Major-General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, and the supervision of Brigadier-General Jamal Salem Al Jallaf, director of the General Department of Criminal Investigation.

Apart from clamping down on bogus accounts, authorities will also be educating the public on identifying fake accounts and frauds and what to do if they come across suspicious social media activity.

Since the majority of the UAE's population are active on social media, the country has become an attractive target for cybercriminals, the police said.

With inputs from Amira Agarib

 

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