New electronic fraud .. fake farms specialized in livestock trade

Electronic fraud continues to reap new victims, driven by the innovative ways of the fraudsters, which the victims are signed at the window of deception, despite the repeated official warnings of dealing with suspicious accounts on social media platforms.

And “Emirates Today” monitored the “communication” platforms the spread of electronic accounts that are located in the capacity of farms specialized in selling livestock, using forged commercial licenses, and fabricated pictures, including fake sites through the Google Map application, to suggest that there is a real farm on the ground.

According to a number of victims, the fraudsters present their digital offers at a professional level, using high -quality images, and attractive marketing content that gives them a temporary credibility, quickly collapses after transferring the sums of money to them, as the victims discover that they fell into a tight trap that is difficult to follow technically.

The citizen Ahmed Al -Raisi, who was exposed to an electronic fraud after watching an announcement on the Instagram application for an account that offers the sale of local sheep at prices starting from 700 dirhams, said that the account was documenting the details of the show with videos and pictures from an equipped farm, and that he attached a commercial license bearing an Emirati name, which strengthened his feeling of confidence, especially with the use of an elaborate local tone during communication via WhatsApp.

He explained that he transferred the amount of 45 thousand dirhams to enter the livestock trade, but he did not receive any confirmation after that.

He continued that he wrote the person who was communicating with him for several days without any response, although the account was still promoting the offers on a daily basis, and speaking his cases on “WhatsApp”, but was later surprised by his presentation of his conversation with the case, as if he was one of the new buyers, in an attempt to promote his sincerity in front of others, which sparked his surprise and anger.

He pointed out that the fraudster was completely banned from the application, before it disappeared permanently, and delete the account from “Instagram”, as it was not possible to reach the number that was communicating through it.

Citizen Salama Muhammad Al -Kaabi stated that she had paid 10 thousand dirhams in order to increase the number of halal heads of her father, after she was attracted by an advertisement via “Instagram” promoting the sale of a “Jaziri” sheep at attractive prices.

She added that the advertiser sent her a site on the “Google” maps showing a farm in a remote area, and promised her to send livestock within two days, but he failed the appointment, and when she contacted him by phone, he responded with a message via “WhatsApp”, stating that the call service is not available, and that communication is limited to the application only, claiming that the shipment was delayed because of the large number of requests.

She added that she waited for more than two weeks to no avail, so she decided to go to the sent site, to discover that the alleged farm is only a barren land free of any manifestations of life or activity.

She then realized that she was a victim of a tight electronic fraud.

Rashid Al -Zaabi did not imagine that he was a victim of electronic fraud, after he was underestimating the people who were deceived through social media platforms, believing that their awareness and culture are weak, before he found himself in the same position.

“I watched an advertisement on (Tik Tuk) for an account promoting the sale of sheep of Al -Nuaimi at lower prices than the market, with pictures that suggest credibility, and a local number to confirm the seriousness,” says Al -Zaabi, who inherited the profession of livestock raising about his father and grandparents, and has an estate that includes dozens of heads of sheep.

He added that he communicated with the number, and a person speaking to him in an Emirati accent, and has an accurate knowledge of the types of livestock required locally, and he has a clear knowledge of the differences between the strains and their prices in the market, and speaks with confidence that does not suggest that he is not sincere.

He continued: “I chose the sheep through the pictures sent to me on (WhatsApp), and the fraudster told me that it is ready for transportation as soon as the amount was transferred, so I paid 14 thousand dirhams, and then everything disappeared.”

For his part, the expert and president of the Bahr Economic Consulting Company, Ibrahim Abdullah Al -Bahr, told «Emirates Today» that the electronic fraud methods associated with selling livestock are more advanced and professional, as the fraudster takes advantage of passion and lack of experience, and uses tempting marketing, in which it offers products at much lower prices than their market value, pointing out that these practices expect even those with experience in tight traps.

The sea said that the fraudsters are professional in the exploitation of social media platforms to promote accounts that claim to sell sheep and local cows at low prices, under the pretext of “liquidation”, and they require communication exclusively through the “WhatsApp” application to avoid legal prosecution, explaining that these accounts require the victims to transfer the amounts into local bank accounts, which enhances the confidence of some of them, and makes the fraud detection more difficult.

The sea reviewed a personal experience in which he was a victim of one of these operations, after it coincided with an advertisement promoting the sale of “Naimi” sheep at only 600 dirhams, while its real price in the market ranges between 1300 and 1500 dirhams, explaining that the advertisement seemed professional and attractive, and talks about the presence of large quantities of sheep, which prompted him to think about buying 20 heads, before he later discovered that the offer is just an electronic fraud.

He added that the fraudsters are requesting the transfer of the amounts in advance in exchange for sending the site to deliver livestock, while in reality there is no farm or shipment, but just forged pictures and commercial licenses, fake accounts, supported by fake sites on “Google Map”, making the victim believe that there is a real project.

The sea pointed out that the fraudsters intend to use a local accent in their communication with the victims, to mislead them and persuade them that they are reliable people, and they are followed by farms inside the state, stressing that the transfer of amounts is converted into local accounts, which gives the process an official nature, and makes it difficult for doubt.

He believes that «marketing in these operations is outperforming the awareness and culture of many individuals, especially since those behind these accounts are professional persons», recommending not to be drawn behind the offers that are presented in a convincing style, local data and accurate details that may be illusory.

He called for a visit to the site before purchasing, or to ensure that it is officially approved, warning against transferring any financial sums to unknown parties, stressing the importance of resorting to the security authorities and the law immediately after doubt or exposure to a similar operation.

The sea also stressed that the law is strict in this type of crime, but it needs to cooperate with individuals by reporting and not complacency, stressing the need to verify the credibility of electronic advertisements before interacting with them.

He said: “Your belief in any unknown advertisement on communication platforms is easy for the fraud to implement the fraud scheme, and not to report the criminal that makes it difficult for the competent authorities to pursue him.”

The General Command of Ras Al Khaimah Police, represented in the Media and Public Relations Department, warned of electronic fraud that targets seekers of attractive offers, by offering false promotional advertisements, including travel tickets, sports events, and mass parties, at low prices, aimed at causing victims.

The police alerted members of the community to the importance of relying on official channels and trusted sales outlets only, and not to be drawn behind the illogical offers, as they recommended using safe payments, allowing the recovery of money in the event of any problem, and avoiding bank transfers or cash payment that does not guarantee any legal protection in the event of fraud.

She stressed the need to beware of suspicious links and unreliable text messages, noting the importance of using official applications for events and services to avoid a victim, stressing that security efforts are continuing to address renewable fraud methods, in parallel with the spread of societal awareness.

For his part, the consultant in the information and cyber security technology, Abdel Nour Sami, stressed that the creation of fake accounts on social media platforms is very easy, and it requires fraudsters except to use a temporary phone number or free email, pointing to the presence of applications and sites that allow virtual numbers, used only once, allowing the activation of accounts without the need to prove a real identity.

He indicated that some fraudulent accounts are managed with high professionalism, and depends on fake content with attractive designs and fake comments that suggest interaction and credibility, which makes it difficult for the ordinary user to verify their health.

He added: “We must not be deceived by the account just because it is documented, because documentation is a service that is bought and not a reputation that is acquired, and therefore is not a criterion for the integrity of the seller.

He also called on members of society not to deal with unknown or unconventional accounts, and to verify the commercial activities that are announced through digital platforms, stressing the need to immediately report any suspicious account, to protect others, and prevent the repetition of fraud cases.

. A fraudster uses his victims’ messages to promote his fake trade.

. An advertisement promotes the sale of sheep at lower prices than the market .. An Emirati number is used by a person speaking in a local tone.

. A fake merchant uses Google Maps to locate his farm.

. A fraud victim buys pictures of the sheep on WhatsApp … for 14 thousand dirhams.