Abu Dhabi Police warn against internet sex blackmail gang

An international gang is using sex videos with dubbed female voices to lure young males into indecent exposure in front of webcams, Abu Dhabi Police have warned.

The gang record the unwitting victims and then blackmail them for money, said Head of Criminal Investigation Directorate Col Rashid Mohammed Bourshid.

He warned the public of falling into the trap of online fraud and blackmail operations, saying the gang has recently started to blackmail some social media users whom they had recorded in obscene videotapes using girls would make obscene displays and asked the victims to do the same.

The videotapes showing the girls were "archival" and have nothing to do with the gang members, Col Bourshid.

Abu Dhabi Police has received a number of reports from victims who got involved with this gang, which is based outside of the UAE, said Col Bourshid.

After uploading short clips in some free specialised websites, the gang would blackmail them by asking them for money if they want the videos removed.

The gang has targeted mainly young men via social media websites and services such as Skype.

"Girls with pseudonyms and dubbed voices are used to encourage victims to expose themselves to have them transfer blackmail money into accounts outside the UAE," said Col Bourshid.

He pointed out that some social media users reveal much of their personal lives in audio and video conversations with strangers, and become easy targets for criminals who steal personal files and extort money.

Col Bourshid stressed that such online crimes remained rare in Abu Dhabi and do not amount to a dangerous phenomenon compared to other cities in the world, urging any person who falls victim to such gangs to instantly report to the police.