DUBAI // Lonely hearts who look online for romance in the run-up to Valentine's Day could fall prey to confidence tricksters, a security company has warned.
Online dating scams, or 'catfish scams' are increasingly common in the Western world, and are now starting to make an appearance in the region.
Experts from an online security company in Dubai, Whispering Bell, believe there may be an increasing trend. The company has dealt with ten cases so far in February, and three cases in as many months before that.
"Instead of focusing on people's greed, they focus on their vanity," said David Michaux, director of the company.
"They tend to target people in this part of the world who are living away from their families, or living alone."
The scams start with a basic introduction on email or through Facebook, whereby a man is contacted by an attractive woman who compliments them on their profile picture.
It then proceeds to a chat box, and then telephone. "There's normally a very flirtatious person on the other end," said Mr Michaux. "The conversation goes on for one to two weeks, and during this time it's 'send me some pictures and I'll send you some too'.
"Gradually the pictures become a lot more flirtatious too."
Then suddenly, the victim will receive a ransom note, demanding a large sum of money. If they fail to pay, all of the compromising pictures of themselves they sent to the online lover will be uploaded to the victim's own Facebook page.
"On a couple of occasions when we've been involved in these cases and trying to help people, some people have not paid," said Mr Michaux.
"On two occasions that I'm aware of, they logged into that person's Facebook account to change the username and password and uploaded all the pictures to the account, so all their friends could see.
"The person couldn't access their Facebook account, and it took three days for those pictures to be taken down by Facebook."
The scam is common enough for the US-based Internet Crime Complaints Centre - an organisation part-operated by the FBI - to issue a notice last October warning people about it.
The scam, which is described as a new trend, "baits individuals into intimate online conversations and then extorting them for financial gain", the Centre said.
Last month, it emerged that Manti Te'o, an American football linebacker, had been involved in an online relationship with a man posing as a woman.
Dr Fadi Aloul, an associate professor of computer science at the American University of Sharjah, said that people within the region were especially susceptible.
"This is a style of attack that has been around for a while, but it's new to this region," he said. "People are definitely more trusting here, so if they get an email they would read it carefully and respond."
A key mechanism of the scams is what's known as 'drive-by downloads', where an email contains a link which directs users toward a site that automatically downloads a Trojan onto their computer.
The link could appear like it would lead to Yahoo chat, or even a BBC news article, but it would contain subtle spelling errors. Victims wouldn't be aware they had even installed malware onto their computer, as the infected site would automatically defer them back to a legitimate site.
Mr Michaux declined to name the people who have been affected in the region, but said it had a massive effect on their lives.
"Sometimes they've had to leave the country, or their wives have threatened to leave them," he said. "It all comes down to a lack of awareness."
mcroucher@thenational.ae
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
