Dubai: Dubai Police, represented by the Crime Prevention Department at the General Department of Criminal Investigation, has launched a strategic initiative to combat fraud and promote prevention methods. The initiative is being carried out in collaboration with more than 40 government, semi-government, and private entities.

The initiative aims to raise awareness among employees and community members about fraud crimes, particularly those exploiting modern communication technologies to unlawfully obtain funds and misuse credit card information through information technology systems.

Brigadier Saeed Al Hajri, Director of the General Department of Criminal Investigation, emphasised that the initiative reflects Dubai Police’s ongoing commitment to strengthening community awareness of fraud crimes. He noted that the campaign, aligned with the Year of the Family, reinforces the role of public awareness as the first line of defence against fraud.

He further explained that the initiative is implemented under the directives of Major General Hareb Al Shamsi, Deputy Commander-in-Chief for Criminal Affairs, and is closely followed up by Major General Eid Thani Hareb, Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Criminal Affairs. It focuses on enhancing awareness among government and private sector employees, as well as the wider community, to reduce fraud incidents and improve understanding of prevention methods and reporting procedures.

Protecting Personal and Banking Data

Lieutenant Colonel Ali Al Yamahi, Director of the Anti-Fraud Centre, stressed the importance of avoiding any interaction with callers requesting banking details or claiming to update personal or financial information. He warned that such calls are common fraud tactics used to obtain sensitive data and carry out unauthorised financial transactions.

He reaffirmed that no official government or financial entity would request confidential banking information from customers. “Any such request should be treated as fraudulent,” he warned.

Al Yamahi also highlighted that fraud crimes are often carefully planned, exploiting victims’ lack of awareness, which makes initiatives like this essential in educating employees, families, and the wider public.

Target Groups

Captain Abdullah Khalfan Al Mansouri, Head of Criminal Awareness at the Crime Prevention Department, stated that the initiative targets employees and their families, as well as all segments of society, including citizens and residents from various nationalities. “It also extends to residential communities in cooperation with private sector partners to further enhance awareness of fraud risks,” he explained.

Reporting Channels

Al Mansouri urged the public to report any fraud attempts through the Dubai Police smart application, by calling 901, or via the eCrime platform and ‘Police Eye’ service, which are dedicated to handling cybercrime reports.

He also advised that victims of phone fraud who notice unauthorised deductions should immediately contact their bank to block their credit card and stop any transactions, followed by reporting the incident to the police to initiate the necessary legal procedures.