This photo is used for illustrative purpose.

The Dubai Police General HQ has called upon members of the public to remain vigilant when using social media platforms and not to fall prey to online cybercriminals and scammers.

These remarks were made by Expert Major General Khalil Ibrahim Al Mansouri, Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Criminal Investigation Affairs at Dubai Police, as he revealed the details of Operation "Shadow" which led to the arrest of 20 African gangs for committing blackmailing and cyber extortion crimes as well as fraudulent activities against social media users.

The suspects under police custody.

He also said the force has recently arrested a married couple who deceived social media users by posing as a recruitment agency for domestic helpers.

Al Mansouri attributed the success of both operations to the efforts and professionalism of the General Department of Criminal Investigations (CID) who utilised the latest technologies at the Criminal Data Analysis Centre of Dubai Police. He further reiterated the force's readiness to shield the community against all forms of harmful and criminal activities.

Al Mansouri confirmed that search and investigation teams at Dubai CID are qualified and trained to the highest levels. They are also ready to tackle emerging crime and unprecedented security challenges.

"Our officers keep abreast of the latest crime prevention methods including harnessing the artificial intelligence capabilities of the Criminal Data Analysis Centre of Dubai Police to track down criminals and foil their bids to harm our society," he said.

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Brigadier Jamal Al Jallaf, Director of CID at Dubai Police, revealed that they had received a reliable tip-off about some African gangs who lured men by posting and sharing photos of girls on social media platforms and via e-mails.

"When the victim arrives at the specified address, he would find a different girl than the one he had chatted with online" Al Jallaf said.

"The gang would threaten victims and take their belongings including mobile phones and credit cards after they take pictures of the men in indecent positions and threaten to post their videos online and share it with the victims' contacts if they report the matter to the authorities. The victims would end up sharing their mobile phone passcodes and credit card security pins, and paying huge amounts to avoid being defamed online and among their family members", he added.

He further warned the public against drifting behind the hyperlinks sent to smartphones, especially via WhatsApp, indicating the necessity of activating two-step verification feature that prevents criminals from stealing data.

WAM