Dubai Police have arrested 494 people involved in 406 phone fraud cases over the past year.
Phone calls, emails, text messages and social media links were used by fraudsters to gain access to the savings and bank accounts of members of the public.
Significant amounts of money, mobile phones, laptops and SIM cards were seized by Dubai Police, who said the scams were orchestrated by criminals urging people to “update their banking information”.
Dubai Police reaffirmed that fraud is punishable by strict penalties.
Brig Harib Al Shamsi, acting director of the General Department for Criminal Investigation at Dubai Police, urged the public to guard against revealing banking details or credit card information to anyone purporting to be from a financial institution.
Banks never solicit banking information updates by telephone, he added.
"Customers are advised to update their details directly through the banks' branches, official customer service representatives, or authenticated banking applications,” Brig Al Shamsi said.
Public urged to be vigilant
The public are have been urged to report scams through Dubai Police's platforms, including the Police Eye feature on the Dubai Police app, the eCrime platform, the Smart Police Station, or by calling the 901 contact centre.
The force regularly sends out warnings over the threat posed by criminals aiming to secure sensitive information to trick people out of cash.
In June, Dubai Police have raised the alarm over a fake traffic fine scam.
Cyber criminals sought to dupe unsuspecting drivers with email messages featuring an official logo and similar layout used by the force.
Recipients of these emails were informed they had to pay a traffic fine and were requested to settle the payment within 24 hours by clicking on a link.
The link directed them to a website designed to resemble that of Dubai Police, where users were prompted to enter personal information, including credit card details, to pay the supposed fine.
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Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
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Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
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List of alleged parties
May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff
May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'
Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff
Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party
Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters
Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
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Engine: 1.4-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 180hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 250Nm at 3,00rpm
Transmission: 5-speed sequential auto
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Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
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Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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