UAE: Cyber Criminals Target Students With Compromising Photos, Videos

Published March 8th, 2018 - 10:51 GMT
Be Aware: cyber criminals are choosing university students in the UAE. (AFP/ File Photo)
Be Aware: cyber criminals are choosing university students in the UAE. (AFP/ File Photo)

In a worrying new trend, cyber criminals are choosing university students in the UAE with compromising photos and videos.

Sharjah Police have reached out to young people, especially university students, on how to avoid becoming a victim of extortion after a wave of blackmail cases were recently reported to authorities.

Captain Mohsen Ahmad, director of the electronic scams department at the Sharjah Police, explained that in cases of blackmail, the conmen initially strike a friendship with their victim through social networking sites.
 

“The victim is then lured into providing personal information to the suspect, and meanwhile, the conman records voice conversations, takes pictures, and records videos of the victim,” said Capt Ahmad.

“The perpetrator then blackmails the victim with photos and video clips, and threatens to spread them on social media for a large sum of money,” he said.

In the last week, Sharjah Police visited a number of campuses and distributed pamphlets to aware students of cyber-crimes, and falling into the net of phishers. 


This article has been adapted from its original source.

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