Fake friendships on social media end in threats and blackmail
Legal Adviser Dr. Youssef Al-Sharif warned individuals, especially the youth, against fake friendships on social media, and the consequences of sending personal photos and videos to others, as they can be exploited and blackmailed to obtain sums of money and defame them.
Al-Sharif said that the means and forms of extortion have developed in recent years, explaining that threats and extortion on the ground are linked to nervousness, or the accumulation of disputes, in which the blackmailer or the threat directs loud threatening phrases to the other party, including “God, I will do justice to you and your children.” Or your family and your family”, “By God, I will expose you and publish your scandals in public.” This blackmail or threat may be accompanied by a request to act, or refrain from doing, for example, he says to him, “If you do not conclude this topic for me, I will tell your scandals,” or “I will expose you to something.” specific", and it may be accompanied by a request to refrain from a certain act, for example, "If the court proceeds to testify against me, I will do my best and I will do it." This is intended to force the person to go to court until he testifies against him, or if he testifies, he distorts the testimony and testifies with him".
Al-Sharif continued, in episodes broadcast by the newspaper "Emirates Today", "The images of blackmail and threats have now changed, and they have new, modern and developed images, and it is not required that there be a relationship between the two parties on the ground, adding that some people, if one of them secures the other's side, He sends his pictures to him or reveals his status, conditions and secrets to him, and after a while, the second party works on this matter, and threatens him with these pictures or snapshots he sent him after what changes the reality of the picture.
He cautioned against the danger of a group of young men and women not being aware of establishing fake acquaintances with others through social media, as they do not realize that there are specialized gangs that exploit their efforts to do so, and get them involved in threats and extortion by accessing their information and personal secrets, as well as What they send from photos and videos.
Al-Sharif warned of one of the forms of electronic blackmail, when some photograph themselves or send naked personal photos to others through social media programs, and the other party exploits this and practices threats, defamation and blackmailing the victim.
Al-Sharif pointed to the legislator in the Law of Rumors and Electronic Crimes, who stressed the penalty for electronic extortion, as it stipulated that he shall be punished with imprisonment for a period of more than two years, and a fine of no less than 250 thousand dirhams, and not more than 500 thousand dirhams, or one of these two penalties. Whoever blackmails or threatens another person, to make him do or refrain from doing an act, using a computer network or an information technology means.
And in the second paragraph, it was decided that the penalty would be temporary imprisonment for a period not exceeding (10) years, if the threat to commit a crime, or attributing matters outrageous to honor or dignity, and that was accompanied by an explicit or implicit request, to do or abstain from an action.
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