The Ministry of Interior warns against investment fraud with the lure of quick profits

The Ministry of Interior has warned community members against investment fraud and being deceived by promises of quick and guaranteed profits, which are a means of seizing money.

It identified five signs that indicate investment fraud: forcing or motivating a person to make an immediate investment decision, making promises of high profits in a short period, ambiguity in the nature of the activity or the method of achieving profits, in addition to requesting to share personal or banking data, and difficulty verifying the company’s license or headquarters.

She indicated through her account on the “X” website that the risks of this fraud cause the loss of money, the difficulty of recovering amounts, the exploitation of personal data, as well as psychological and moral damage. To protect against these risks, the Ministry of the Interior called for following key protection guidelines, which include verifying the entity’s license before investing, consulting specialists before making a decision, dealing with official authorities only, avoiding promises of large and guaranteed profits, not transferring money to personal accounts, and not sharing personal data or the verification code (OTP), while being completely cautious of anonymous or imitation applications and websites.

It also urged reporting cybercrimes via the official website, or the Ministry of Interior’s smart application “MOIUAE” through the cybercrime platform.

As part of its ongoing efforts to enhance digital security and protect society, the Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Directorate of the Federal Criminal Police, recently organized a workshop in Abu Dhabi on preparing the national strategy to combat electronic fraud crimes, amid wide participation from police leadership in the country, senior officers and officials, and representatives of the federal and local prosecution offices, the Central Bank, the Communications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority, and a number of ministries and concerned authorities.

The Ministry stated that the workshop aims to develop an integrated national framework to combat electronic fraud crimes, by strengthening the partnership between the competent authorities, developing a national system based on prevention and proactiveness, raising response efficiency, and protecting community members from the risks of electronic fraud crimes.

The Director General of the Federal Criminal Police, Brigadier General Abdulaziz Al-Ahmad, confirmed in press statements that preparing the national strategy to combat electronic fraud crimes represents an important step towards developing a national system to confront electronic crimes through unifying efforts and adopting proactive solutions.

Al-Ahmad said that the experiences participating in the workshop contribute to formulating specific initiatives that support digital and financial security, and enhance the readiness of the competent authorities, ensuring the protection of society, and keeping pace with the state’s trends in building an advanced security system.

The workshop witnessed a review of the most prominent global challenges associated with electronic fraud crimes, and their new patterns and methods, in addition to discussing the strategic objectives and performance indicators for implementing the national strategy, in keeping with the rapid developments in this type of crime.

During the workshop, the Ministry reviewed the risk guide and the draft national strategy for combating electronic fraud crimes, in addition to the role of the Anti-Electronic Fraud Center within the national system in supporting prevention, early detection and effective response efforts.

The workshop also included a brainstorming session that addressed a number of strategic axes, including prevention and proactiveness, legislation, future capabilities, smart connectivity, and employing artificial intelligence technologies, with the aim of developing national initiatives that contribute to reducing electronic fraud crimes and enhancing the efficiency of combating them.

At the conclusion of the workshop, the participants reviewed the most prominent outputs and recommendations, and it was agreed to arrange the initiatives according to implementation priorities and the level of their impact, in preparation for their inclusion within the draft national strategy for combating electronic fraud crimes, in a way that supports building a more integrated and effective national system in confronting this type of crime.