Highlighting the dangers lurking on the Internet, a senior official from the Sharjah Police revealed details of a case in which a cyber stalker managed to extort Dh1.2 million ($300,000) from a college girl. According to the police, the 24-year-old man allegedly posed as a police officer and threatened to make public an affair the 19-year-old girl reportedly had. The suspect reportedly forced the girl to withdraw money from her bank at different times. Faced with unending demands for money and threats, the girl finally informed the police.
According to Lt-Colonel Omar Ahmed Abu Al Zood from the Sharjah Police’s preventive security department, on arresting the man, the police found in his possession ‘confession papers’ signed by school and college girls about affairs they had. The suspect allegedly threatened to inform the girls’ families about their affairs and post their pictures and videos on social media websites.
Blackmail victims
Lt-Col Al Zood said 80 per cent of the victims of blackmail are college and school girls. He called on families to keep a vigilant eye on their daughters and make them aware about the dangers of the social media. “They (female students) have to understand that they must be very cautious in dealing with their male counterparts and immediately inform their parents if they are blackmailed.”
Blackmailers, he warned, stalk women on social media sites. “Most of the victims do not inform the police and fall prey to threats and blackmail.”
Lt-Col Al Zood said managements of schools and colleges must organise training programmes for staff and social workers so that they can raise social awareness about the practice among students. “We organise security culture programmes in schools and colleges to educate students about crimes like these. Schools and colleges in turn must launch similar awareness campaigns.”
He urged female students to report such crimes to the police, assuring them that the investigations will be carried out confidentially.
“Keeping the matter secret will only encourage criminals to blackmail more girls,” he said.
School head rues unsupervised Internet use
Mustafa, headmaster of a private school in Sharjah who did not want his last name published, told Khaleej Times that several school students end up getting blackmailed as a result of affairs they have. “That is why we have installed CCTV cameras in our school and hired a company to monitor students throughout the day.”
He warned of the repercussions of the unsupervised use of the Internet and social media by students. “Blackmailing by cyber criminals affects the future of students and cause psychiatric problems for them, which can even lead to suicide. Social workers in our school always talk to students and make them aware of the dangers of illegal activities,” he said.
By Afkar Abdullah
