Ajman Police strengthens community security by launching a "beware of blackmail" campaign

As part of its continuous efforts to enhance community security, the Ajman Police General Command launched a campaign to promote public awareness about the phenomenon of electronic extortion through social media, implemented by the Ajman Police Media and Public Relations Department, in order to achieve the Ministry of Interior's strategic goal of enhancing security and safety. Major Noura Sultan Al Shamsi, Head of Media and Public Relations Department at Ajman Police, said that the campaign aims to urge the public to take caution when dealing with strangers or unknown persons through the pages of social networks, which are increasing and growing day by day, stressing that fraudsters and blackmailers practice extortion in professional ways. And studied and more convincing, they are working to study and analyze social media accounts using multiple and different methods to target victims for the purpose of blackmailing them. She added that the fraudster after gaining the trust of the person, a young man or girl, works to collect the causes of blackmail, by requesting private personal photos, or making video calls with the victim. To be used in extortion, and unfortunately, the majority of blackmailing fraudsters are from outside the country, and some of them turned to using the digital currency “Bitcoin” to receive money instead of transferring through banks or exchange shops in order to avoid revealing their identity, and follow-up and attempts may continue for several months to gain the victim’s trust . She emphasized that Article 16 of UAE Federal Law No. 5 of 2012 states, "A penalty of imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years, and a fine of no less than two hundred and fifty thousand dirhams, and not exceeding five hundred thousand dirhams, or either of these two penalties, shall be imposed on anyone who blackmails or threatens another person to carry him." For committing an act or abstaining from it, by using an information network or a technical means, and the penalty shall be imprisonment for a period not exceeding ten years if the threat is to commit a felony or to impute matters offensive to honor and consideration. The head of the Media and Public Relations Department called on community members to be careful in dealing with social media, and to assure them to take measures that ensure their protection from being threatened or electronic blackmail in any form, and not to accept communication with unreliable strangers or sending any images or data. Private or sensitive, stressing not to respond to the demands of blackmailers under any circumstances, and to inform the security authorities as soon as they are exposed to any attempt of blackmail by communicating through the Share with Security service available on the Ajman Police application or by calling the number 067034317, stressing that the Ajman Police will be on the lookout and will deal with all packages with Anyone who thinks of tampering with the security of the homeland and the safety of citizens and residents.