The Dubai Public Prosecution warned of advanced methods of electronic fraud, including the use of modern techniques to simulate video, audio and handwriting, to a degree that is difficult to distinguish from the original version of the victim, and the increase in the activity of fraudsters on the Internet, in light of the "Corona crisis".
The head of the first prosecutor in Dubai, an expert in cybercrime, advisor Khalid Ali Al Junaibi, said that "the prosecution monitored these advanced methods in several countries, as it is easily transmitted from one country to another, in light of modern means of communication."
He added, on the sidelines of a virtual seminar organized by the Community Development Authority, in cooperation with the Public Prosecution: “Despite the efforts made in raising awareness of the dangers of electronic crime, the awareness index is still weak for a large segment of society.” He pointed out that recent studies revealed that fraud suffers the world annually , Approximately four trillion dirhams.
Counselor Khaled Al-Junaibi said, “Electronic fraudsters are constantly developing their methods, as programs that simulate image and sound have been monitored, which - by obtaining 20 minutes of recording the original voice owner - can create a record of it and use it to defraud others,” explaining that they “impersonate famous people.” Like artists and politicians, to connect with and deceive ordinary people. ”
He added, "There are programs that can simulate manual writing and signing in a highly professional way using artificial intelligence, to a degree that is difficult to distinguish from forensic experts," calling on "community members to verify in more than one way the documents that are granted to them."
Al-Junaibi stressed that the index of cybercrime, especially fraud with these methods, is still low in the country, compared to other countries, but there is - in contrast - a need to increase the awareness of community members, given the state's enjoyment of a strong digital structure, and has made a great way in the field of smart services.
He cautioned against using bank cards for purchases from unreliable websites on the Internet, especially during the crisis of "Covid-19", in which electronic fraud spread, in light of the majority of the world's population being unable to leave their homes, which gave the fraudsters more room to carry out their crimes.
He pointed to targeting community members with deceptive messages, in which the fraudster informs the target person that his card was stopped by the bank, and he asks him some secret data to re-activate it, and then withdraws sums from it after penetrating it, pointing out that one of the most recent crimes recorded in this way is a fraud that a woman has been subjected to. Through a call from a person who claimed to be an employee of the bank, obtained her bank details and took possession of her balance.
Al-Junaibi stressed that it is not logical for the bank to send similar messages, as they no longer allow their employees themselves to view the confidential data of clients, but rather include it via an electronic system, so community members should pay attention to such methods, pointing out that the fraudsters love their tricks in different ways. Sometimes they communicate with the victims, and one of them transfers them to the other as their manager, until the victim is convinced that he is actually dealing with the bank.
Technical crimes
Advisor Khaled Al-Junaibi explained that the state was one of the first countries to enact a law to combat information technology crimes, but there is an urgent need to constantly update this law, in light of the rapid development of this type of crime, pointing out that the last update of the information technology law was general 2012.