Public urged to verify licences, avoid promises of guaranteed returns and report cyber fraud through official channels
Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Interior has warned members of the community against investment fraud and being deceived by promises of quick and guaranteed profits, describing such schemes as a means of unlawfully seizing money.
Through its account on the X platform, the ministry identified five signs of investment fraud:
Pressuring or encouraging a person to make an immediate investment decision.Promising high returns within a short period.Lack of clarity regarding the nature of the activity or the method of generating profits.Requesting personal or banking information.Difficulty verifying the company’s licence or headquarters.
The ministry said the risks of such scams include financial losses, difficulties recovering funds, exploitation of personal data, and psychological and emotional harm.
To avoid becoming a victim of investment fraud, the ministry advised the public to:
Verify the entity’s licence before investing.Consult specialists before making investment decisions.Deal only with official entities.Avoid promises of large and guaranteed returns.Refrain from transferring money to personal accounts.Avoid sharing personal information or one-time passwords (OTPs).Exercise caution when using unknown or suspicious websites and applications.
The ministry urged members of the public to report cybercrimes through its official website or via the cybercrime platform available on the Ministry of Interior’s smart application, MOIUAE.
As part of its efforts to enhance digital security and protect society, the Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Directorate of Federal Criminal Police, recently organised a workshop in Abu Dhabi on developing the national strategy to combat electronic fraud crimes.
The workshop was attended by police leaders, senior officers and officials, representatives of federal and local public prosecution authorities, the Central Bank, the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority, and representatives from a number of ministries and relevant entities.
The ministry said the workshop aims to develop an integrated national framework to combat electronic fraud crimes by strengthening partnerships between relevant authorities, developing a proactive national system, improving response efficiency and protecting society from cyber fraud risks.
Brigadier General Abdulaziz Al Ahmad, Director-General of the Federal Criminal Police, said preparing the national strategy represents an important step towards developing a national system to combat cybercrime through unified efforts and proactive solutions.
Al Ahmad said the experiences shared during the workshop would contribute to formulating initiatives that support digital and financial security, enhance the readiness of the competent authorities and ensure the protection of society.
The workshop reviewed global challenges related to cyber fraud, emerging fraud methods, strategic objectives and performance indicators for implementing the national strategy.
The ministry also presented the risk guide, the draft national strategy to combat electronic fraud crimes, and the role of the Electronic Fraud Control Centre in supporting prevention, early detection and response efforts.
Participants also discussed a number of strategic themes, including prevention and proactivity, legislation, future capabilities, smart connectivity and the use of artificial intelligence technologies, with the aim of developing national initiatives to reduce cyber fraud crimes and strengthen efforts to combat them.
At the conclusion of the workshop, participants reviewed recommendations and agreed to prioritise initiatives based on their impact and implementation requirements ahead of their inclusion in the National Strategy to Combat Electronic Fraud Crimes.
