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29 March 2024

Men beware of online 'fun' partners...

Published
By Muna Ahmed

Caller No. 1:

A 20-year-old UAE national met a woman on one of the social media programmes. Their relationship got deeper, and he started sending her his pictures. Later on, he discovered that this girl was actually a man, and he started blackmailing him to send him money, threatening to post his nude pictures on social media.

Caller No. 2:

An Arab man said he met a girl on one of the social media channels, and later on, he found out that the girl was from Morocco, and she was recording their sexual conversation on video. She also started threatening him of circulating his improper videos on social media if he did not transfer her money.

Caller No. 3:


A girl said that a person managed to hack her mobile phones, and access her personnel pictures and videos. Now this man is threatening her of circulating her videos and pictures if she does not transfer money to him. She is scared to file official complaint at the police station.

Caller No. 4:

A UAE national said a man - whom he thought was a woman – befriended him on social media and is now asking him to pay Dh10,000 or else he would post his inappropriate videos on social media channels.

Caller No. 5:

A man said that one of the girls that he met on social media was actually a man, and he recorded all their sexual video calls and is now threatening him that he will circulate them on social media if he did not give him money.

Caller No. 6:


A man said that his friend, who is a professor in one of the universities in Dubai told him that he is in trouble because he met a girl on one of the social media channels, and then started having sexual video calls with her. She then started blackmailing him of posting his nude videos if he did not transfer her money.

Caller No. 7:


A man said that he met a girl on one of the social media channels, and then they started talking on one of the electronic programmes. They started making inappropriate video calls. Later on, this girl turned to be a man, and started blackmailing him that if he did not transfer her money, he would share the video among his friends.

These were only a few cases of the almost 400 victims of electronic blackmails on the Internet.

Speaking to ‘Emirates24|7’, top official from the Al Ameen Secret Services said the number of electronic blackmail victims has increased noticeably in the past few years.

“We have noticed a significant increase in cases. Victims are mainly men who met women on different social media channels. These men mainly started  illegal relationship with these women and had sexual video calls or shared their nude pictures to these girls. Later, these victims discover that these girls were in majority of the cases men who pretended to  be women to fool them.”

The official added that the ease and spread of the Internet and social media channels has aided a lot in rise of electronic crimes, of which the electronic blackmails form the majority.

“Blackmailing is a crime, and as per UAE laws those involved in it will face imprisonment of not more than two years and a fine of not less than Dh250,000 and not more than Dh500,000 or with both these.. This is mainly for all those who proved to be involved in the blackmail cases.”

He added that according to the UAE Laws, also those who are involved in breaching the privacy of others will also be punished.

“As per the laws here, those who overhear, or take pictures of others, or even take videos and audio recordings of others without their knowledge will be punished. This also includes those who spread these pictures, videos or voice recordings on the social media or to any other person despite the fact that these recordings were genuine or not. These types of crime incur a punishment of imprisonment of not less than six months and fine of Dh250,000 to Dh500,000 or one of these two.”

The official called men in general, and women to be extra careful while dealing with people on Internet as their real identity is not known. “When dealing with others on the Internet, you actually don’t know their identity. Thus, it is wrong to trust them. We have seen many cases, and we hope that people learn lessons from others, and try to avoid becoming the next victim.”