Online dating platforms can be obvious targets for fraud, the Dubai Police have warned.
In a video shared on its official Twitter handle, the police said that scammers are developing new methods of embezzlement and urged the public not to fall into the trap.
“Some people are using dating websites and getting involved with unknown people at unlicensed or secret massage centres,” the police said in the video. “The scammers first lure customers with massage offers, steal money and then blackmail them.”
(Dubai Police bust 20 gangs, 47 fraudsters arrested)
The Dubai Police had last week busted 40 gangs that allegedly committed crimes ranging from cyber fraud to blackmailing, impersonation and theft.
The gangs had created female profiles on social media to lure men into their trap. “They would show interest in their potential victims and invite them to an apartment. However, when the victim arrived at the address, he would find a different woman there. The rest of the gang would take photos of the victim in inappropriate positions and steal all his personal belongings, including mobile phones, money and bank cards. They would confine the victim to a place until they used the bank cards and stole his money,” the police said.
When they released the victim, the gang members would threaten to share the photos on social media if he went to the police.
