Dubai: State security and digital officials have warned of the evolving methods of cybercrime, with fraudsters increasingly employing artificial intelligence to carry out scams, phishing, deepfakes, and to lure job seekers through fake job advertisements that may end up involving them in receiving and transferring funds related to fraud, money laundering, or other crimes.
During the press conference to launch Cyber Security Awareness Month, which runs throughout October, the authorities emphasised that digital threats are no longer limited to stealing data and accounts, but have extended to misinformation, the creation of fake content, and hacking into internet-connected devices, including home surveillance cameras, which, if not secured, could become a means of violating family privacy.
They stressed that community awareness represents the first line of defence against these risks, at a time when the speed of dealing with some vulnerabilities and attacks is measured in minutes, in parallel with the development of specialised security tools and capabilities to monitor emerging crimes, detect deepfakes and analyse digital evidence.
The Director of the General Department of Criminal Investigation at Dubai Police, Brigadier Saeed Mohammed Al Hajri, said that Dubai Police has detected advanced uses of artificial intelligence in crimes of fraud, phishing, data hacking and deepfaking, in addition to creating fraudulent pages, and using multiple methods to transfer money obtained from crimes and hide its path.
He explained that the Electronic Evidence Lab has advanced capabilities to examine faces, voices, and videos, and to prepare detailed reports on the misuse of artificial intelligence, including the detection of deepfakes, noting that the development of artificial content production tools and the improvement in image, sound, and synchronisation quality pose new challenges that require continuous monitoring.
He added that Dubai Police has established a department specialising in emerging crimes related to artificial intelligence, in order to keep pace with the expansion in the use of these technologies and the diversity of crimes associated with them.
He said that criminals' tools are evolving rapidly, and that fraud through fake jobs is one of the patterns that warrants attention, explaining that fraudsters are exploiting artificial intelligence to design more professional and widespread advertisements to target job seekers through social media platforms.
He added that some of these offers require the victim to provide their bank account or to receive and transfer money under the pretext of working remotely, before it becomes clear that those funds are linked to fraud, money laundering or other crimes, warning that the person may find themselves involved in criminal investigations, even if they have fallen victim to deception and enticement.
Amer Sharaf, Executive Director of Cybersecurity at the Dubai Electronic Security Center, said that artificial intelligence has become a tool used on both sides of the equation, as it allows attackers to accelerate the exploitation of vulnerabilities and double the speed of attacks, while on the other hand it gives cybersecurity teams greater ability to monitor, anticipate and analyse huge amounts of data.
He explained that the speed of response has become a crucial factor, as dealing with some security vulnerabilities and updates can no longer wait for days as it did in the past, but rather the response in some cases is measured in minutes, which makes updating systems and programs and taking preventive measures quickly essential.
He pointed out that the Dubai Electronic Security Center developed the ‘Sarab’ program to detect the degree of video fabrication using artificial intelligence and to monitor deepfakes, explaining that it was developed with national competencies, and made available within open information sources for the benefit of users and specialised entities.
He also pointed to the ‘Razzam’ application as one of the tools developed by the centre, explaining that the centre continues to develop solutions that help users raise the level of protection and trust when dealing with websites and electronic services.
He added that Dubai’s cybersecurity strategy, launched in 2024, includes a focus on community safety and security, from which initiatives are launched aimed at raising cybersecurity awareness and promoting the safe and responsible use of digital technologies.
The Director of the Digital Security Department at the Ministry of Interior, Colonel Dr. Engineer Ibrahim Al-Yamahi, said that cybersecurity has become a shared societal responsibility, and that every individual is a partner in protecting the country’s digital space.
He stressed that technological development constantly creates loopholes and new methods that criminals can exploit to access data and privacy, and that investment in technology must be accompanied by raising awareness of how to use it safely.
Al-Yamahi warned of the dangers of home surveillance cameras and internet-connected devices, stressing the importance of choosing high-quality cameras, carefully selecting their installation locations, taking the necessary protection measures, and continuously updating the applications and software associated with them to prevent them from being hacked.
He explained that hacking into one of these cameras or devices could allow the intruder to access details and private information inside the home, turning a device originally intended for protection and monitoring into a means of violating the family's privacy.
He called for reporting any breaches or extortion attempts to be reported, warning that failure to report could give the criminal more room to continue his activity.
He pointed out that deepfakes have become more professional and are no longer limited to short clips, but are now able to produce complete content that reaches the level of films, in addition to advanced techniques in imitating voices, stressing that awareness and prevention represent the basic line of defence in facing these dangers.
Brigadier Dr. Abdul Rahman Sharaf, Director of the International Protection Center at Dubai Police, said that more than 13 million people benefited last year from the awareness efforts and programs implemented by the centre.
He explained that lectures related to cybercrimes and electronic fraud constituted about 60% of the total awareness lectures, with a trend to raise this percentage during the current year to more than 80%, based on monitoring patterns of cybercrimes, extortion and fraud.